The Top 4 Storylines for Rest of Vikings Season
The Minnesota Vikings will defend their unbeaten streak in Week 7 against the Detroit Lions. In the meantime, the club has enjoyed a bye week.
The Top 4 Storylines for Rest of Vikings Season
Kevin O’Connell’s squad has a 5-0 record to begin the 2024 campaign, firmly in control to reach the postseason, with 91% playoff odds per DVOA.
And with the bye week in the rearview, these are the four big storylines facing Minnesota, ranked in ascending order (No. 1 = most important).
4. Can the Giveaways Be Fixed?
A very dirty secret of Vikings football, Kevin O’Connell and the gang rank 29th in the NFL per giveaways. Only three teams surrender the ball via interception and fumble more often.
Thankfully, the defense ranks second per takeaways, so everything balances out. The 5-0 record masks all sins.
But what if the defensive takeaways ever cease or diminish? Minnesota’s offense would have to play mistake-free football, which it has emphatically not embraced through five games.
3. Will Kwesi Adofo-Mensah Shop the 1st-Round Pick?
Most onlookers forecasted the Vikings for a 7-10 or 8-9 record, with optimistic exceptions by some that would plop Minnesota in the playoffs as a Wildcard participant.
Fast forward to Week 7 of the season, and Minnesota is a true Super Bowl contender, ranking seventh highest on oddsmakers’ lists to hoist the Lombardi Trophy in February. The 2025 1st-Rounder, after all, will probably be in the 20s.
Accordingly, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah could trade that pick for an impact player like defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons from the Tennessee Titans. Will he leverage the future to go all-in this season?
2. T.J. Hockenson’s Return and Impact
Hockenson is questionable to play on Sunday against his former team and the club that tore his ACL 10 months ago. But the takeaway is that he’s on the way back.
He should take the offense to new heights and make the enterprise more dimensional if, for example, Aaron Jones’ injury lingers. Minnesota could’ve used Hockenson in London when the offense sputtered due to Jones’ absence.
Hockenson usually sees between eight and nine targets per game. For an offense that has already experienced five wins to no losses, eight to nine targets of change is a major upheaval.
1. Can Minnesota Avoid Outright Regression?
See: 2003, 2016
In 2016, the Vikings started 5-0, had a wonderful defense, enjoyed a Week 6 bye, and employed a Sam at quarterback. Sound familiar? Then, they finished 3-8 and missed the playoffs.
Twenty-one years ago, Minnesota started 6-0 and later melted down, culminating in a Week 17 loss at the Arizona Cardinals. Green Bay reached the postseason as a result, and Minnesota did not.
Only because those things happened in relatively recent history is the top storyline whether the 2024 Vikings are a real, Super Bowl-contending deal.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His MIN obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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