Lunchbreak: CBS Has Eye on Vikings Offensive & Defensive Lines This Offseason

Viktor

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Mar 19, 2019
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Chad Graff of The Athletic recently fielded questions on his reasons for optimism going forward, beginning with a fan question how the Vikings can be competitive with the current leadership in place.


Graff responded that he believes Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer and quarterback Kirk Cousins can help the team get back on track in 2021.


Zimmer is for sure a top-10 defensive coach in the NFL, and I'd argue he's in the top five. While defensive success doesn't translate year after year the way offensive success does, Zimmer has a track record of producing top-five defenses. It's certainly possible for the Vikings to get back to that level in the next three years.


Now you need to match that with offensive success, which, based on recent Super Bowl participants, is more important than defensive greatness. But by most measures, Cousins actually played like a top-10 quarterback last season, somewhere in the No. 8-10 range. He did that despite a brutal start. If he can improve that just a bit, that would go a long way. He already has elite weapons around him with Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen and Dalvin Cook. Then you need good play calling, which is very much up in the air since the Vikings have a new offensive coordinator who has never called plays, and you need an improved offensive line, which isn't out of the realm of possibility as we enter free agency and the draft.


So is it possible they can combine to make a winner? Sure. You just need a better offensive line, good play calling, small improvements from Cousins and the return of a dominant defense.



Zimmer is 64-47-1 in seven seasons in Minnesota, and has won a pair of NFC North titles in his tenure.


Cousins finished eighth among all quarterbacks with a passer rating of 105.0, which was the second-highest of his career, and ranked eighth overall with 4,265 passing yards.


He also orchestrated a trio of game-winning drives in 2020, which was the most of his career, and tied for the fourth-most among all NFL quarterbacks this past season.
 
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