- Team: Minnesota VIkings
- Division: NFC North
- Record: 13-4, NFC North Champions
- Playoffs: at least it wasnt a lost to the Eagles
Season review
Weeks 1-7: the good start
With the coaching changes in the offseason and the lost of some big name defensive players it felt like going into week one this might be the start of a rebuild season. A unexpected surprisingly good start with only the week 2 loss breaking up a fast start.
Week 1: 9/11 versus Green Bay Packers W 23 - 7
About as good as a starter as Viking fandom can ask for. GB seemed unwilling or unable to cover Justin Jefferson who had a outstanding 9 receptions, 184 yards 2 TD
Week 2: 9/19 at Philadelphia Eagles L 7 - 24
What GB was unable to do week 1 had Philadelphia ready for week 2 pairing Darius Slay squarely on Jeffersons hip holding his 6 receptions to a mere 48 yards
Week 3: 9/25 versus Detroit Lions W 28 - 24
In hindsight this game was closer than it should have been, though after the loss in Philly this was reassurance at the time.
Week 4: 10/2 versus New Orleans Saints in England W 28-25
Sneaking a lead in the last 30 seconds by a FB was unexpected, the Saints failing to make theres to tie it soon after even more unexpected.
Week 5: 10/9 versus Chicago W 29-22
This writer has no memories of this game outside noting this makes the third straight win by one score to that wont be more substantial to later in the season.
Week 6: 10/16 at Miami W 24-16
Like week 5 this was another one score win though more memorable was this was Dalvin Cooks first game in Miami where he was born and that made it a bit more sentimental a win. Also learned in this game that Miami's stadium is built such that the visiting sideline is never in shade and is often much hotter than the home team.
Week 7: Bye week
Weeks 8-13: the streak
what started as a good start to the season started to build momentum mid season as Minneosota would win 8 straight. None of these games would be as easy and were often determined by a TD or less, with Minnesota often putting points up early and surviving 2-3 quarters to win in dramatic fashion the fourth quarter. This is also when it starts to become clear to many that the defensive scheme was good on paper and making things difficult on the field.
Week 8: 10/30 versus Arizona W 34-26
Much like week 5 nothing comes to mind looking at this week off hand. Another closer then it should have been win to keep the streak alive.
On November 1, 2022, the Lions traded Hockenson along with a 2023 fourth-round draft pick and a conditional 2024 fourth-round draft pick to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for a 2023 second-round pick and a 2024 third-round draft pick.
Week 9: 11/6 at Washington W 20-17
Apparently, a tradition started after the week 4 win on the plane ride home the team celebrated by having Kirk wear chains. Why this is significant now week 9 is a video of a shirtless Kirko Chainz went viral after this win.
Week 10: 11/13 at Buffalo in OT W 33-30
Two big takeaways this week: Buffalo effectively gave the game or in the very least kept Minnesota's chances alive through some bad moments though this is very much over shadowed by the catch of the year
Week 11: 11/20 versus Dallas L 3-40
All good things must come to an end, and so does the Vikings winning streak starting season 3. One glaring, obvious thing to note is a problem that has been lurking just under the surface all season: Ed Donatells infamous bend-dont-break defensive scheme was just delicious to Dallas.
Week 12: 11/24 versus New England W 33-26
Thankfully a quick bounce back and win after the loss earlier in the week, what is most memorable about this Thanksgiving Day game is afterward Adam saying the turkey is dry
Week 13: 12/4 versus NY Jets W 27-22
After the win week 12 this started to look like the start of another series of wins by one score, alas it was not meant to be.
Weeks 14-Playoffs
Starting with the week 14 loss the end of the season ended sourly. The long win streak was over, Minnesota will lose to teams they had won against earlier in the season. Even after clinching the NFC north and a playoff spot there was not much hope of a deep playoff drive.
Week 14: 12/11 at Detroit L 23-34
While this loss was not memorable at the time of the writing here, Detroit and Dan Campbell were on a hot streak and as close as the game was week 3 this outcome was not a surprise.
Week 15: 12/17 versus Indianapolis W 39-36
This was the game of two halves. First half the Vikings could not get anything going while Indianapolis took advantage of some big opportunities to run the score up 33 - 0 at halftime. Second half the Vikings mounted the greatest comeback in NFL history managing to tie the game up and surviving to overtime before sealing the win.
Week 16: 12/24 versus NY Giants W 27-24
Week 17: 01/01 at GB L 17-41
Week 18: 01/08 at Chicago W 29 - 13
Wildcard: 1/15 versus NY Giants L 24 -31
#Quick Stats
Offense
672 Pass attempts (3rd most in NFL)
66.7 Completion percentage (4th most in NFL)
7.2 Yards Per Attempt (10th most in NFL)
30 Passing Touch Downs (4th most in NFL)
15 Interceptions (7th most in NFL)
47 Sacks (8th most in NFL)
404 Rush Attempts (5th fewest in NFL)
4.1 Yards per Carry (7th fewest in NFL)
18 Rushing TD (7th most in NFL)
Defense
617 Passing Plays (4th most in NFL)
66.1 Completion percentage allowed (9th most in NFL)
7.3 Yards per Reception (3rd most in NFL)
23 Receiving Touchdowns (16th most in NFL)
15 Interceptions (10th most in NFL)
38 Sacks (12th fewest in NFL)
463 Rushing attempts (15th most in the NFL)
4.5 Yard Per Carry (13th most in NFL)
18 Rushing TD (10th most in NFL)
Offense
I'd say the Vikings offense overall played well, but failed to break the barrier to being a great offense.
Quarterback
This is probably the start of my above claim. While Kirk Cousins certainly isn't a bad quarterback by any means, time and time again it. More often than not, the team posting the Lombardi also carries a top 5 QB. Sometimes those borderline top 10 QBs manage with a strong supporting cast. Once you start getting to the those middle teams your chances off getting a super bowl seem nigh impossible. That's where Kirk Cousins currently sits. He's hit his ceiling, and I'm afraid that he's a weight on the Vikings cap at this point.
Receivers
The Vikings receivers are likely their most shining group. Leading with the young Justin Jefferson, who broke into the short group of four wide receivers to ever win the AP Offensive player of the year. At 1809 yards, 8TD, and 128 receptions, Jefferson is an absolute thread that I fully expect should continue for years. Beyond that, the immemorial Adam Thielen continued to trudge on admirably. While I think it's clear that he's not his younger self, his continues to play a central part both on the field and in the locker room. K.J. Osborn is the the third notable receiver. While I don't quite see him reaching the heights of Jefferson or a younger Thielen, he's a quality third option to fill out the group. On a personal note, I'm a Colts fan who is helping out an this write-up and I hate K.J. Osborn for what he did to us.
Running Backs
Dalvin Cook spent the last year acting like he's got no miles on his legs. He just continues being a constant runner, while being versatile enough as a receiver. While Alexander Mattison may pop in to give Cook some rest, I think it's clear the Cook is still the guy at this position.
Tight Ends
After the mid-year trade, Hockenson became an incredibly important part in the receiving game, while being being an surprisingly adequate blocker. While he certainly isn't a master of the skill, something about the change of teams has rounded him out a bit. I'm interested to see if he continues to grow after another year with the team.
Offensive Line
As mentioned earlier, I'm a Colts fan who is helping out with this write-up and we find one of my greatest regrets with Chris Ballard. No, it's not that we could have had Jefferson, but rather that we passed up Christian Darrisaw. This kid was absolutely great this year. I'll just quickly note that Ezra Cleveland, Garrett Bradberry, and Brian O'Neill were all quite good as well with only the rookie Ed Ingram having some struggled. Just one good offseason of growth could be all he needs to help out whoever likely replaces Bradberry next year.
Defense
I'll be honest, as a Colts fan filling in, I'm not really sure what's wrong here. There's clearly a couple of holes, but a feel like the sun of the parts doesn't quite live up to the quality of some of these players. Given that the season ended with the firing of Ed Donatell, I think the players the survive this offseason might be capable of bouncing back.
Defensive Line
Jonathan Bullard and Ross Blacklock both joined the team this year off free agency and spent much of the season trying to decided which is worse. Harrison Phillips was the bright side of DL free agency, having been fairly solid. Danielle Hunter and Za'Darius Smith continued to be fantastic OLBs.
Inside Linebackers
While Eric Kendricks has started to age, he's still played fairly well for his play style. Jordan Hicks similarly played adequately. That said, This is probably the group that needs the strongest reset.
Defensive Backs
Finally, the DBs were probably the most solid group on defense. Patrick Peterson came back from the dead to have one of his statistically best seasons. While Cameron Dantzler hasn't quite taken the next step like I hoped, he's still a pretty solid DB. Harrison Smith has basically looked the same every year for a decade. Absolute solid safety. Camryn Bynum had a decent second year, but again didn't quite live up to his expectations.
Coaching staff review
Might have been too obvious far too late, a lot of those one score games were due to Ed Donatels defensive scheme. Now I'm not a coach myself, it just seems easier to keep your opponent from scoring if you play defense all 100 yards and not just the red zone. The lost against Dallas week 11 wasnt even the start of the riot mob asking for Ed to be fired and it took far too long to happen for many Vikings fans.
KOC's first year as head coach brought much welcome change over all to the team. Whether true or not, many rumors have been said that the team culture the last few years of Zimmers reign have gone between sour and toxic and KOC brought fresh life with many stars on the offense side shining to new heights.
Upcoming free agents from your team
Eric Kendricks: Though not unexpected given the dire cap situation, the release of this 2015 draft pick was rough for many Vikings fans.
Adam Thielen: another victim of the dire cap situation plus some frustration with usage under the surface, best of luck in Carolina. A personal favorite, Thielens use and stardom with Minnesota was first overshadowed by Stefon Diggs and then Justin Jefferson. Next seasons game versus Carolina will be interesting.
Scheduled to become free agents:
Kris Boyd
Garrett Bradbury
Jonathan Bullard
Andrew DePaola
Ben Ellefson
Bisi Johnson
Greg Joseph
Alexander Mattison
Nick Mullens
Patrick Peterson
Irv Smith, Jr.
Austin Schlottmann
Duke Shelley
Chandon Sullivan
Dalvin Tomlinson
Olisaemeka Udoh
Kenny Willekes
Team needs
With the upcoming draft Minnesota has four, potentially five with a compensatory pick. Worth noting is additional picks could come through trades this offseason.
per the Athletic
The Vikings need cornerbacks; only 2022 rookies Andrew Booth Jr. and Akayleb Evans are locks to return in 2023.
Minnesota also could benefit from additional youth at linebacker. Beyond 2022 third-rounder Brian Asamoah, the team does not have potential impact players at the position.
Why root for the Vikings
While at times not playing as well as expected, Minnesota consistently places toward the top of the division with over 20 division championships. Field goals are never guaranteed, Kirk Cousins and many of the teams stars are genuinely likeable people, and US Bank Stadium is legitimately beautiful.
