[ad_1]
Earlier this week, Anthony Barr expressed the kind of optimism we all should have in our lives. During an interview with Fox 9’s Jim Rich, Barr was asked about his expectations for the upcoming season. His answer would make that crimson clad parent in our lives ecstatic.
“I really believe we have a Super Bowl winning team this year,” Barr said. “Obviously there are a lot of steps to get there, and I’ve had good and bad seasons with this team. But every time we’ve had a tough year, we’ve always bounced back. I really feel like this year is going to be special.
At first glance, it looks like Barr drank too much purple Kool-Aid. But, on closer inspection, there might be a chance that Minnesota will be able to have a run.
In Mike Zimmer’s day, the Vikings bounced back from bad seasons to advance to the playoffs the following year. While it could be summed up as an easier schedule or “odd number magic,” Minnesota appear to have put together a better list after a disappointing performance.
In 2017, the Vikings went 13-3 after going 8-8 the year before. They featured the league’s No.1 defense and an attack that caught lightning in a bottle with Case Keenum. With the emergence of young receivers Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen, the Vikings made their way into the NFC Championship Game. (There is no need to mention the result here.)
In 2019, the Vikings were trying to bounce back from a record 8-7-1 the year before. Just like in 2017, many of the same players returned, and they used effective offense and strong defense to go 10-6 and come back to the playoffs. They even grabbed a playoff victory in New Orleans before losing in the divisional round. (Again, there is no need to talk about this game.)
Before this season, the Vikings have the same formula. They will bring back Kirk Cousins, who will be in the same offensive system for the second year in a row. Although Thielen is older, Justin Jefferson’s breakthrough year should be enough to catapult the offense from 11th in total points and into the top 10.
The defense has undergone a major overhaul, as have the areas where the Vikings were weakest in 2016 and 2018. Those two years saw some major additions to the offensive line. With that plus $ 45 million in defensive spending, the Vikings should be improved enough to find themselves in playoff contention.
This will mean anything goes in a wide open NFC where almost every team has a major question.
In NFC North, the Vikings wonder if Aaron Rodgers will show up for Week 1 in Green Bay. They also don’t know when the Chicago Bears will start Justin Fields against Andy Dalton or if Dan Campbell may be more than Mike Tice’s second coming with the Detroit Lions.
The NFC East is filled with bad teams that could step forward or regress. Will Washington overcome the bump with Ryan Fitzpatrick? Will the Dallas Cowboys bounce back with Dak Prescott in the middle? Is Joe Judge a good coach? And is Jalen Hurts a legitimate NFL quarterback? We do not know.
The NFC West is also a giant mystery bag. Is Kliff Kingsbury a Legitimate NFL Coach? The Seattle Seahawks may or may not let Russ cook, and the Los Angeles Rams just installed 32-year-old Matthew Stafford as quarterback. Even the San Francisco 49ers’ bad year may not have been a fluke despite all of their injuries. We do not know.
Even in NFC South, where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fire all of their starters, it remains to be seen whether Tom Brady can escape Father Time for another year. Will the New Orleans Saints miss Drew Brees? Will the Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons drop from the bottom of the division?
You guessed it: we don’t know.
All of this leaves a wide open path to a deep playoff race. A Vikings’ Super Bowl appearance isn’t that far-fetched. While the Kansas City Chiefs, Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens are among the big favorites, there could be another version of the 2020 Buffalo Bills waiting to take the league by storm. We do not know !
We know the Vikings should be a better team than they were a year ago. While it’s telling to hear Barr’s optimism, the Vikings have the potential to be better than expected. Again, we do not know.
[ad_2]
Source link