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The Minnesota Vikings achieved an impressive playoff victory in 2019 and are only a few seasons away from sniffing out the Super Bowl. What if, however, they are far from a lock to reach the postseason in 2020? What if, going one step further, they are more likely to spend the next winter at home? Recent history suggests that this is not out of the question.
Since 2001, the Vikings have made the playoffs in consecutive seasons. just once, in 2008-2009. That means it has been 10 seasons since the last time they had consecutive trips to the playoffs. It also means that they have Never followed by coach Mike Zimmer, who replaced Leslie Frazier from the 2014 season:
|
2014 |
7-9 |
There are no playoffs |
|
2015 |
11-5 |
Advanced to wild card round |
|
2016 |
8-8 |
There are no playoffs |
|
2017 |
13-3 |
Advanced to the NFC Championship |
|
2018 |
8-7-1 |
There are no playoffs |
|
2019 |
10-6 |
Advanced to the divisional round |
Now, is it unusual to be in and out of the playoffs like the Zimmer Vikings have been in the last half decade? That depends on what type of equipment you are talking about. Stay in the division, and the Chicago Bears have been even worse; His two playoff appearances since 2009 were eight years apart. But take the Green Bay Packers, for example; In the time since Zimmer coached the Vikings, Green Bay made the playoffs in four of six seasons, including three in a row from 2014-2017. The New Orleans Saints, an unofficial opponent of the Vikings, have also enjoyed their own stretch of three consecutive postseason spots since 2014.
Call it a fluke or call it an indication that Minnesota is just a different type of streak, but the fact is, they haven’t been consistent and confident competitors since the days of Dennis Green, Randall Cunningham, and Daunte Culpepper.
Not that Zimmer’s six-year term was blatantly bad. A 7-9 floor is solid. But the trajectory is eerily similar to that of Zimmer’s former team, the Dallas Cowboys, who since 2007 have forever a playoff or double-digit season followed with a non-playoff season.
And guess what? Because the Vikings went 10-6 and broke the postseason in 2019, that means 2020 is set to be its “off” year. The team’s recent history isn’t the only reason Minnesota fans should be a little worried this year, either.
If this intermittent playoff record sounds representative of Kirk Cousins, the Vikings’ own quarterback, a guy many consider good enough to sustain success, but not necessarily good enough to lead a deep playoff career, then you are down to something Since becoming a full-time starter in 2015, Cousins has never made the playoffs in consecutive years.
If you want to cancel the Cousins factor because of your supporting cast in Washington, that’s fine. But what he can’t do is ignore additional concerns about the 2020 Vikings. Yes, Cousins was ultra-efficient and surprisingly good on the stretch in 2019, and yes, Zimmer has always found a way to milk his defense for big plays, but consider:
- Stefon Diggs is gone: Rookie Justin Jefferson should fit in nicely as a volume weapon for Cousins, but he’s also a rookie who enters the NFL with virtually no offseason. Part of the reason why Cousins’ action-game play was so lethal in 2019 was because Diggs was there to take the top off the defense. Let’s not forget that Diggs ordered more than 90 goals in four consecutive seasons and exceeded 1,000 yards in each of these last two. Could we be underestimating the loss of such a reliable game maker?
- Availability of Dalvin Cook: Cook has every right to demand a new contract as the centerpiece of the Vikings’ offense, but he still missed 19 games in three years. It’s silly to expect him to be out there for 16 games. And even if you think Alexander Mattison is a capable backup, we’re really going to ignore lingering questions about the offensive line, which may have had a future left tackle at Ezra Cleveland this offseason, but has replacement-level starters in the inside?
- Defensive rotation: This is the largest. The Vikings weren’t necessarily wrong in saying goodbye to Xavier Rhodes, Trae Waynes, and Mackensie Alexander in high school, but how often does he replace three-fifths of his starting defensive backfield with no problems, especially when most of his main replacements are mid-round. . newbies? Not only that, but Everson Griffen’s departure leaves an underrated hole in the passing race, where only Danielle Hunter is a proven and consistent threat.
Neither of these issues seems self-evident enough to completely derail the Vikings. This remains a solid and disciplined team with a good base and a committed strategy. At the end of the day, however, it also seems fair to anticipate a regression of those 10 wins.
The most important thing for the Vikings, like the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2019 NFC East, could be the rest of the division: the reigning Packers champions face a difficult schedule and will be hard-pressed to replicate their remarkable record (8- 1) in single-score games; the Bears do not have an official starting QB for week 1; and the Lions have been mostly hapless with Matt Patricia.
However, relying too much on rival incompetence will not necessarily save Minnesota. As much as the Packers seem prepared for their own regression, it must be argued that Aaron Rodgers owes a reboundEspecially if only one of the team’s pass capture possibilities increases. The Bears still have a 10-caliber defense, and potential new QB Nick Foles, who had previously torched the Vikings, has a coaching staff that knows how to use it. Meanwhile, the Lions, despite all their defensive failures, may have a sneaky offensive now that Matthew Stafford is healthy and surrounded by additional weapons.
Who will finally win the North, which has not had a repeated champion in five years? The Packers are the only team in the division to claim the crown in consecutive years since 2010, but even if they don’t do it again, the other hurdles Minnesota faces in 2020 suggest there is a good chance it won’t. Be the Vikings, either.
