2011 Minnesota Vikings Predictions

Written by Steve Janus

After coming up just short in the 2009 playoffs, the Minnesota Vikings decided to bring back veteran quarterback Brett Favre for one more run. Unfortunately for the Vikings, Favre didn’t live up to his 2009 season, spending most of the season struggling to just stay on the field. Minnesota ended up finishing the season 6-10, tied for last in the NFC North with the Detroit Lions. Head coach Brad Childress was fired after 10 games, opening the door for Leslie Frazier, who was locked in as the new head coach once the season was put to rest. Frazier and the Vikings believe they have a chance to compete in the North, but a lot of that will depend newly acquired quarterback Donovan McNabb. Let’s take a closer look at what the Vikings will send to the field on both sides of the ball, plus I’ll give my prediction on where they will finish the 2011 season.

Offense:

Before the Vikings went out and added McNabb, they used their first round pick on Florida State quarterback Christian Ponder, who they believe will be the starter in the near future. McNabb will have an opportunity to prove he still has something left in the tank, after getting bench last year with the Redskins.

One thing to keep in mind is the fact that McNabb will easily have the best running game he has had as a quarterback. Defenses have to load the box to keep Adrian Peterson in check, which will open up the passing lanes for McNabb and the receivers. Peterson is coming off a disappointing season by his standards, but could take off in the final year of his contract with McNabb in charge.

A big concern for the offense is the lack of talent at the wide receiver position now that Sidney Rice has taken his talents to the Seattle Seahawks. They bring back an emerging star in wide out Percy Harvin, who led the team with 71 catches for 868 yards and five touchdowns, and have added a couple of interesting players in wide outs Michael Jenkins and Devin Aromashodu, who will both have a chance to start. They have one of the top tight ends in the game in Visanthe Shiancoe, but plan on using a bunch of two tight ends sets, which is why they drafted Notre Dame tight end Kyle Rudolph with their second round pick.

Minnesota decided to cut starting left tackle Bryant McKinnie, but were able to land a suitable replacement in Charlie Johnson, who has started 53 games for the Colts over the last four seasons. The rest of the line remains intact, but starting center John Sullivan needs to prove he deserves to be the starter, as Jon Cooper and Brandon Fusco figure to challenge him this season.

Defense:

The Vikings have had one of the most feared and talented defensive lines since acquiring Jared Allen from the Chiefs in 2008. Allen returns after an average 11 sack season in 2010, but the unit will be without starting defensive tackle Pat Williams and starting defensive end Ray Edwards. The only other starter back is veteran tackle Kevin Williams. They added Remi Ayodele to start opposite of Williams and drafted Christian Ballard to add depth. Brian Robinson is expected to take over for Edwards at defensive end, and his production will go a long way in determining the overall success of this unit.

Minnesota used the franchise tag on veteran outside linebacker Chad Greenway, who has really emerged into a star on this team. Also back is starting middle linebacker E.J. Henderson, but they do have to find a replacement for outside linebacker Ben Leber. One option is E.J.’s brother Erin Henderson, who has shown enough to believe he can get the job done.

Minnesota finished with the 10th best pass defense in the NFL last year, allowing just 210 yards a game. Whether or not they remain a top notch secondary will depend largely on what kind of pressure the front four put on the quarterback. They cut ties with strong safety Madieu Williams, opening the door for Tyrell Johnson to start alongside free safety Husain Abdullah. At corner, the Vikings are hoping Cedric Griffin can return to form after playing just two games last year. If Griffin can’t go, look for the Vikings to send out Allen Asher or Chris Cook opposite of Antoine Winfield.

Prediction: 4th NFC North, 6-10 Overall – I had a hard time picking the Vikings to finish last in the North, but there is just too much uncertainty surrounding the offense and defense heading into the season. It’s hard telling what McNabb will bring the offense, especially with the lack of talent at wide receiver. If the defensive line suffers a huge drop off, the entire defense is going to feel the effects. You can’t count out a team with the likes of Peterson running the ball, but a lot has to go right for Minnesota to compete in the North.

Individual Team NFL Season Predictions

AFC
AFC West	AFC North	AFC South	AFC East
Kansas City Chiefs Predictions	Pittsburgh Steelers Predictions	Indianapolis Colts Predictions	New England Patriots Predictions
San Diego Chargers Predictions	Baltimore Ravens Predictions	Jacksonville Jaguars Predictions	New York Jets Predictions
Oakland Raiders Predictions	Cleveland Browns Predictions	Houston Texans Predictions	Miami Dolphins Predictions
Denver Broncos Predictions	Cincinnati Bengals Predictions	Tennessee Titans Predictions	Buffalo Bills Predictions
NFC
NFC West	NFC North	NFC South	NFC East
Seattle Seahawks Predictions	Chicago Bears Predictions	Atlanta Falcons Predictions	Philadelphia Eagles Predictions
St. Louis Rams Predictions	Green Bay Packers Predictions	New Orleans Saints Predictions	New York Giants Predictions
San Francisco 49ers Predictions	Detroit Lions Predictions	Tampa Bay Bucs Predictions	Dallas Cowboys Predictions
Arizona Cardinals Predictions	Minnesota Vikings Predictions	Carolina Panthers Predictions	Washington Redskins Predictions

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