The 2018 season was a disaster for the Minnesota Vikings, and they are determined to avoid the problems that impacted the team a year ago.
Minnesota was the preseason favorite to win the NFC Championship last year based on getting to the NFC Championship the year before and the addition of Kirk Cousins at quarterback and his $84 million contract.
However, the season was basically ruined after the first quarter of the season. After struggling to win the season opener against the San Francisco 49ers – they should have been able to overwhelm the Niners instead of hanging on for a 24-16 victory – the Vikings settled for a tie with the Green Bay Packers, suffered perhaps the worst loss of the season by dropping a 27-6 decision at home to the Buffalo Bills and losing a tough road game to the Los Angeles Rams.
The preseason sheen of superiority was completely erased by the 1-2-1 start, with the brutal loss to the Bills doing the most damage. Great teams rarely lose at home. They certainly don’t lose to inferior teams in that situation, and the three-touchdown margin was inexcusable.
That told the rest of the league everything they needed to about the Vikings, and it was telling in the locker room.
There are many elements that go into winning football games in the NFL, and confidence is one of those elements. Players can talk about maintaining confidence at any point in the season when meeting the media, but real confidence comes from consistent success and overall improvement. Getting handled for 60 minutes by the Bills was a cold slap in the face.
Confidence sprinted out the door at that point, and the rest of the season was a halting slog through the muck. Consistency was never a part of the Vikings season, and the season was largely ruined by the start of the season.
That’s why this year’s start is going to be so important. The Vikings need to be 3-0 after the first three weeks of the season when facing the Atlanta Falcons, Packers and Oakland Raiders before going to Chicago for their Week 4 game.
The Vikings will need quarterback Kirk Cousins to stand up to Khalil Mack, Roquan Smith and Akiem Hicks, and if that is going to happen, the rebuilt offensive line is going to have to hold up against those marauding warriors.
Two preseason games don’t tell an awful lot about how the offense is going to perform against the most vicious opponents during the regular season, but the early indication is that the offensive brain trust of Kevin Stefanski and Gary Kubiak is up to the task.
They are going to put together a game plan that gives the Vikings an excellent chance to win. The ability to spread the ball around may be the team’s greatest strategic advantage, because the number of highly skilled players will make it difficult for the defense to understand what is going on.
Adam Thielen, Stefon Diggs and Chad Beebe give the Vikings three wideouts who can get open and make plays consistently. Thielen rates a slight edge over Diggs because of his spectacular hands and route-running, but Beebe looks like a No. 3 receiver who can play a winning role in key situations.
Defenses will have to look at tight ends Kyle Rudolph and Irv Smith Jr., and the team’s best offensive weapon may turn out to be running back Dalvin Cook.
Cook’s ability to turn small openings into big plays as a runner or receiver could be the key to turning Cousins into the elite quarterback the Vikings need him to become on an every-week basis.
Cousins completed 6-of-8 passes for 68 yards while playing the first two drive of 25-19 preseason victory over the Seattle Seahawks, and backup quarterbacks Sean Mannion and Kyle Sloter were equally impressive.
The big question that will need to be answered this year is the play of the offensive line, which was the team’s biggest issue a year ago.
The starting offensive line of left tackle Riley Reiff, left guard Pat Elflein, center Garrett Bradbury, right guard Josh Kline and right tackle Brian O’Neill has a chance to be much better than last year’s group, but the true picture may not be painted until that Bears game in Week 4.
Mack, Smith and Hicks will press and probe for the weak spots, and if the Vikings can hold up in that game, they should be able to handle nearly all tests they will get this season.
Two preseason victories don’t mean a lot, but the offense is clearly tending in the right direction.
