The Minnesota Vikings went 13-4 in 2022, highlighted by the fact that the team won 11 games by one score. However, the large number of close wins throughout the year led to many members of the media calling this team frauds, and they were right when the team promptly got bounced out of the playoffs in the Wild Card round.
This offseason, the Vikings have waived several key veteran players due to large cap hits and/or lack of production- receiver Adam Thielen, linebacker Eric Kendricks, and cornerback Cam Dantzler. More players are sure to follow in a roster overhaul that is being described by the media as a “bloodbath.” While these players were cut for the right reasons, two of them (Thielen and Kendricks) provided key leadership that will sorely be missed in the locker room.
Minnesota’s free agency has been highlighted by the signings of cornerback Byron Murphy, blocking tight end Josh Oliver, and oft-injured defensive end Marcus Davenport. While the Murphy signing was a good one, the acquisitions of Oliver and Davenport were criticized by many, and in both cases were a slight overpay. Mix together these signings, couple that with the fact that they lack cap space and draft capital (six total picks), then throw in that the division is getting better, and you have an argument for the Vikings going from first to last. Let’s take a look at what the NFC North will offer for next season.
Chicago Bears
The Bears have taken a significant step forward towards possibly being a contender this offseason. After acquiring the first pick in the draft, the team traded it to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for two first round picks, two second round picks, and wide receiver D.J. Moore. Then to open free agency, the Bears took advantage of their league-leading cap space to sign linebackers T.J. Edwards and Tremaine Edmunds, in addition to guard Nate Davis and edge rusher DeMarcus Walker. Couple this with the fact that Justin Fields will only continue to improve as a passer, the Bears are set up to succeed in 2023. This is a young team that will only get better, and is likely going to be a solid playoff contender this upcoming season, with a good chance to win the NFC North.
The Bears remind me a lot of the Buffalo Bills when they drafted Josh Allen. Like Allen, Fields largely used his legs during the first two years of his career to keep an offense without any real playmakers at receiver moving, both franchises have defensive head coaches, and year three saw both franchises make sweeping moves- both of which were highlighted by the acquisition of a true alpha receiver to support their young quarterback. Remember that leap Allen took after the Bills acquired Stefon Diggs? I can see Fields taking a similar step in 2023.
Because of their front office, the Bills are now set up to be a contender for years to come, and I could see the Bears turning out the same. Hopefully, ownership won’t screw it up.
Detroit Lions
After a 1-6 start to the 2022 season, the Lions rallied to finish 9-8 and showcased what they could be capable of moving forward.
This offense, led by Pro Bowl quarterback Jared Goff, is only going to get better. While running back Jamaal Williams won’t be returning, they signed former Bears starter David Montgomery to replace him, who is a good back in his own right. The team also has an alpha receiver in Amon-Ra St. Brown, and alongside him will be 2022 first-round draft pick Jameson Williams, who is ready to show the league what he is capable of after fully recovering from an ACL tear. The offensive line features young studs in Penei Sewell and Jonah Jackson to go along with veterans Frank Ragnow and Taylor Decker. Their defense is also loaded with young players such as pass rushers Aidan Hutchinson and James Houston, linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez, and defensive back Kerby Joseph. In addition, the Lions also shored up their defensive weakness, cornerback, with the signings of Cameron Sutton and Emmanuel Moseley in free agency. This is an underrated young roster that is only going to continue to improve under third year coach Dan Campbell.
The Lions are my pick to win the division next season. This is a team that is ready to make some noise, and have the players to do so. These aren’t the same old Lions, folks. Every historically bad team has to be successful at some point. Oh, and they also went 5-1 against the rest of the division last year, with the lone loss being at the Vikings.
Green Bay Packers
Remember how the Seattle Seahawks surprised everyone this past season and went to the playoffs after trading away star quarterback Russell Wilson? With the Packers set to trade away Aaron Rodgers, I can see them being this season’s version of the Seahawks.
The Packers have a lot of young talent on both sides of the ball, especially on offense, which will be good for the development of quarterback Jordan Love. Though the offense will be led by the running back tandem of A.J. Dillon and Aaron Jones, the Love-led passing game features two young ascending receivers in the form of Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson who will only get better over time. In addition, the team has an offensive line featuring Elgton Jenkins, Josh Myers, and (maybe) David Bakhtiari, all of which are Pro Bowl-caliber starters (All-Pro in the case of Jenkins and Bakhtiari). The Packers still have Kenny Clark leading the defensive line, in addition to the linebacker corps that is still led by De’Vondre Campbell and rookie standout Quay Walker. In the defensive backfield, Jaire Alexander and Rasul Douglas are there to patrol the secondary.
If Love is as good as advertised, the Packers will be just fine. I don’t know if they will make the playoffs this season (remember that Rodgers went 6-10 in his first full year as a starter), but they should show signs of being an ascending team on the upswing.
Minnesota Vikings
Here’s a cold hard truth about the Vikings offense in 2022: it was mostly just Kirk Cousins throwing it up to Justin Jefferson, with the occasional throws to T.J. Hockenson and K.J. Osborn. Though the offensive line features two standout bookend tackles in Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill, the interior of the unit is mostly underwhelming. The run game was ranked 27th last season, showing you just how dependent this team is on the pass. In short, this team is essentially “let’s hope Justin Jefferson makes a big play or else we are screwed!”
The defense was a hot mess last year, and they have now lost the leadership of both Kendricks and cornerback Patrick Peterson, in addition to defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson. Oh, and Za’Darius Smith is likely on his way out of town as well. Though Murphy is a nice part to anchor the defensive backfield going forward, that won’t be enough to fix the defense. With Harrison Smith and Danielle Hunter both possibly on their way out of town as well, Murphy and nose tackle Harrison Phillips are the only truly good defensive players that are certain to be on the team next season. Other than that, this unit is littered with a bunch of young players who may or may not be ready to start yet, such as Andrew Booth, Akayleb Evans, and Brian Asamoah. Despite the addition of Brian Flores to the coaching staff, this unit will likely be only slightly better than last year’s disaster as the team continues to transition to a youth movement.
How this team won 13 games last year is astonishing, and a lot of it came from lucky breaks. The schedule worked out, the team mostly stayed healthy, and they got extremely lucky late in most of their games.
Folks, look around. The NFC North is only getting better, and the Vikings are not at the moment. They may be getting younger, but they are not better today than they were last year. They have lost a lot of veteran leadership and we don’t know yet how good some of these young players are truly going to be. We can look forward to 2024 all we want, but this is not a team that can compete right now with rosters that, on paper, appear to look better.
Every team there is a team that pulls back from their previous year’s record and, in most cases, misses the playoffs. The Vikings are going to be that team next year. They won’t win 13 games, and they will likely miss the playoffs. In my opinion, they and the Packers will battle for third place. Don’t worry, though, the team will still win 8-9 games because Cousins is not bad enough to let the team tank for a high draft pick.
