NFL PREVIEW: 2020 MINNESOTA VIKINGS

BY ADAM GREENE

Key Additions: DE Anthony Zettel (free agent), WR Tajae Sharpe (free agent)

2020 NFL Draft: WR Justin Jefferson, LSU (round 1), CB Jeff Gladney, TCU (round 1), OT Ezra Cleveland, Boise State (round 2), CB Cameron Dantzler, Mississippi State (round 3), DE D.J. Wonnum, South Carolina (round 4), DT James Lynch, Baylor (round 4), LB Troy Dye, Oregon (round 4), CB Harrison Hand, Temple (round 5), WR K.J. Osborn, Miami (round 5), OL Blake Brandel, Oregon State (round 6), S Josh Metellus, Michigan (round 6), DE Kenny Willekes, Michigan State ( round 7), QB Nate Stanley, Iowa (round 7), S Brian Cole, Mississippi State (round 7), OG Kyle Hinton, Washburn (round 7)

Projected Offensive Starters: QB Kirk Cousins, RB Dalvin Cook, WR Adam Thielen, WR Justin Jefferson, WR Tajae Sharpe, TE Kyle Rudolph, LT Riley Rieff, LG Pat Elflein, C Garrett Bradbury, RG Dakota Dozier, RT Brian O’Neill

Projected Defensive Starters: LDE Danielle Hunter, LDT Michael Pierce, RDT Shamar Stephen, RDE Ifeadi Odenigbo, WLB Eric Wilson, MLB Eric Kendricks, SLB Anthony Barr, LCB Mike Hughes, RCB Jeff Gladney, SS Harrison Smith, FS Anthony Harris

K: Dan Bailey

P: Britton Colquitt

Head Coach: Mike Zimmer

2019 Record: 10-6, 2^nd place NFC North

A Look Back: In spite of making every effort not to, the Vikings backed into the playoffs last season thanks, in large part, to a single blown coverage play in a December game between the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers. If the Rams win that game, the Vikings are playing for their lives in the final game, can’t rest starters and likely watching the postseason at home.

But once the postseason begins, the regular season records are tossed out the door. The Vikings, in spite of barely making the playoffs, knocked out the heavily favored New Orleans Saints, 26-20 in overtime in the Wild Card round, in what has become kind of a trend. They never even showed up the following week against the 49ers in the Divisional Round, losing 27-10.

Still, for al the criticism he gets, Kirk Cousins had a sold statistical season for the Vikes, completing 69.1 percent of his passes for 3,603 yards, 26 touchdowns and six picks, the lowest total of his career (with a full season of starts).

2020 Projection: Here’s the problem with the Vikings, and really you could say this about the entire NFC North. They didn’t do anything to get significantly better in the offseason and they pretty much topped out what they’re capable of in 2019.

Are they good enough to sweep the Packers? Nope. How about the Bears? Probably not. The Lions? Sure, but so what? The real problem in their quest to return to the postseason is their schedule outside the division, with match ups against the Philip Rivers-led Indianapolis Colts, the Tennessee Titans, Houston Texans, Seattle Seahawks, Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Saints.

2020 Projected Win Total: 9-7. As of this writing, the Vikings pay -125 at under 9.0 wins and -105 over, so this is a push. In exact wins, 5-9 pays at -145. If you like them to hit double digits, then you have to see them sweeping the Chicago Bears, stealing another win over the Saints (which, as mentioned above, they regularly do in the playoffs), or knocking off Tom Brady and the Bucs. It’s too much to ask of this squad. They don’t have the players.

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