2012 Minnesota Vikings Preview

2012 Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings look like their in for a rough season in 2012. They are in a loaded division and have a very inexperienced quarterback in Christian Ponder, who they are relying on to be their franchise QB. He showed some glimpses last year of being able to move the chains and make plays with his arm and legs. However, it’s unclear whether or not he will be the long term answer. The biggest question for this season will be how Adrian Peterson responds to his torn ACL. It seems like he might be ready to go in the first month of the season at the latest, but historically, even the toughest players do not come back completely strong from that injury. If he isn’t the same, then backup running back Toby Gerhart will have to take control of the rushing attack and help take pressure off Ponder. The defense doesn’t have overwhelming talent as well, so it looks like another struggling season for the Vikings. After a 3-13 record last season, Minnesota took Matt Kalil to be their left tackle, which should help Ponder by protecting his blind side, but this franchise is in rebuilding mode, who need playmakers on offense and defense.

Offense

The Minnesota Vikings offense really struggled passing the ball last year, but we’ll see how Christian Ponder progresses after his first full offseason as starter. With the addition of Kalil, he should be more protected and therefore stronger in the pocket, and he has shown that he can make some plays with his legs also. The running game is strong for the Vikings, but the biggest reason for that is the presence of Adrian Peterson, who might struggle this year while trying to recuperate from a blown out knee late last season. If he isn’t the same, then this offense is in deep trouble, because he is by far their best player. Toby Gerhart is going to have to play big and strong, like he is, to try and make this offense as successful as possible. The Vikings only have one true threat on the outside, which is the speedy Percy Harvin. Harvin will have to play a huge role in the passing game because he’s easily their best receiver. The tight end Kyle Rudolph is another player who will have to step up and create a receiving threat over the middle who can beat the linebackers. This unit should be in the bottom half of the NFL.

Defense

The front seven for the Minnesota Vikings has some ability. Kevin Williams is still chugging away in the middle of the defensive line, and Jasper Brinkley is going to have a big responsibility at middle linebacker. The outside linebackers are good as well, with EJ Henderson and Chad Greenway. And of course, they have their animal at defensive end, Jared Allen, who had an incredible 22 sacks last season to lead the NFL. He will be great again, but he can’t handle the pass rush responsibilities all by himself, so someone else is going to have to step up and get pressure on the quarterback. Antoine Winfield is the best cornerback on this team but he is aging, and the rest of the secondary isn’t very good. Which is a killer, when you play in a division against Aaron Rodgers, Jay Cutler, and Matthew Stafford. Good luck, Minnesota secondary.

Schedule

The Minnesota Vikings went 3-13 last season, so there’s nowhere to go back up! Hopefully, anyway. Christian Ponder will try and lead this team to a few wins, but the Vikings’ expectations can’t be too high because realistically, how far can Minnesota go in a division with three powerhouses? As long as the Vikings can improve from their three win season from a year ago, I would consider it progress.

Week 1: W vs JAC

Week 2: L at IND

Week 3: L vs SF

Week 4: L at DET

Week 5: L vs TEN

Week 6: L at WAS

Week 7: W vs ARI

Week 8: W vs TB

Week 9: L at SEA

Week 10: W vs DET

Week 11: Bye

Week 12: L at CHI

Week 13: L at GB

Week 14: L vs CHI

Week 15: L at STL

Week 16: L at HOU

Week 17: L vs GB

Those last six games after the bye are no joke, and they’ll probably lose out unless they can win that Rams game on the road. However, I think that they will go 4-6 before the bye, which is a good start. 4-12 is not where the Vikings want to be, but they’ll have another high draft pick, somewhere in the top four, and can select another player to help try to rebuild. It looks like it’s going to be a long season in Minnesota. I’ll do my bold prediction and then a recap of the NFC North, and then my next preview will be for the Atlanta Falcons, as the NFC South gets underway.

Bold Prediction: Toby Gerhart finishes the season with more fantasy points than Adrian Peterson. Peterson won’t be the same coming off his torn ACL. I don’t believe that this prediction will come true at all, but it certainly is bold.