Viktor
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- Mar 19, 2019
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Will the Vikings re-write their season narrative this year after a disappointing 8-7-1 campaign in 2018?
NFL Media analyst Bucky Brooks recently said Minnesota shouldn’t be counted out, including them in his top five “sleepers” for 2019. He highlighted teams that he feels “really aren’t getting the respect they deserve” heading into training camps later this month.
Brooks wrote the following of the Vikings:
Don’t let a disappointing 2018 campaign overshadow the potential of the sleeping giant residing in the Twin Cities. While there was plenty of hate spewed in Kirk Cousins’ direction for the way things turned out in his first season after signing a blockbuster deal, the Vikings should feel good about his chances of performing like a top-10 quarterback in an offense being overseen by [Offensive Coordinator] Kevin Stefanski and [Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Advisor] Gary Kubiak.
Brooks said that Minnesota’s offensive system “places a premium on the running game and complementary aerial attack.”
With Dalvin Cook healthy and ready to add sizzle to the running game as a stretch (outside zone) runner, Cousins could terrorize opponents with timely dimes to Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs. Defensively, the Vikings have more than enough playmakers (Danielle Hunter, Everson Griffen, Anthony Barr, Eric Kendricks, Harrison Smith, and Xavier Rhodes) to win nip-and-tuck battles that are traditionally won with the defense on the field. If the Vikings can learn how to play complementary ball in each of the game’s three phases, [Head Coach Mike] Zimmer’s team could be standing in the winner’s circle at the end of the season.
The other four teams Brooks projected as this season’s sleepers are the Falcons, Steelers, Jaguars and Packers, whom the Vikings will face in Week 2 and Week 16. He noted Green Bay’s new Head Coach Matt LaFleur and the team’s offseason focus on the defensive side of the ball.
The Packers addressed concerns about the defense in the offseason by pumping a lot of free-agent dollars and draft capital into resources on the edges (Preston Smith, Za'Darius Smith, and Rashan Gary), which should enable the team to close out games against opponents chasing points late in contests.