The Vikings have started the season 1-5, and they're heading into the bye week with a number of questions. They could easily be 3-2, having lost by one point to both two undefeated teams, the Titans and Seahawks. However, it's safe to say that their record is more indicative of the state of the team than these two "good losses" are, as the fiasco against the previously winless Falcons demonstrated on Sunday.
Here's a list of areas of concern for the team:
Quarterback- While I am typically a Kirk defender, his performance in the first half on Sunday against a legitimately bad defense was abominable. I'm still convinced Kirk, with good pass protection, is a good-to-very-good quarterback. However, he isn't worth his salary if he's going to keep falling apart every time he doesn't have a clean pocket.
Cornerback- Mike Hughes has now missed three games this season. Holton Hill has missed two. Without these two (young, unproven) "veterans" on the field, Mike Zimmer turned to three rookies for most of the snaps on Sunday, and they pretty much got shredded by the deadly Falcons passing attack. While Cam Dantzler and Jeff Gladney have shown flashes and could end up being good starters, the rest of this year is going to be rough if they don't show real improvement real soon.
Interior Offensive Line- Rick Spielman's annual failure to build a competent offensive line has continued this year, as pretty much anyone who has played guard for the Vikings this year has rated at the very bottom of the league.
Interior Defensive Line- The Purple have been as bad at stopping the run this year as I can ever remember them being. Furthermore, the distinct lack of pressure from the middle of the rush has made the job harder for ends Yannick Ngakoue and Ifeadi Odenigbo.
Coaching- I'm as big a fan of Mike Zimmer as there ever was, but it might be time to move on. It's going to take more than a re-tool on the fly to get this team back to the playoffs, and Zimmer is not going to survive a rebuild. If he isn't giving you a good defense (or even an average one, currently), then what is he really doing for you?
There's a pretty strong argument that these are among the five most important parts of a football team. While getting two competent players and fixing the offensive line could mostly fix the quarterback problem, the state of the Vikings salary books makes this close to impossible. Rick Spielman and cap wizard Rob Brzezinski have done a good job at the seemingly impossible task of keeping the core of the Vikings together for many years now- however, it no longer looks like it is a core that will accomplish anything.
There are some bright spots on the team. Running back Dalvin Cook has cemented his place among the elite in the league, and is now signed long-term. Rookie Justin Jefferson already looks like one of the best receivers in football, giving the Vikings a deadly duo along with Adam Thielen, and sophomore tight end Irv Smith Jr. looks like he's ready to take on a bigger role in the offense. Once Danielle Hunter returns, the defense will sport two of the elite pass rushers in the league (along with Ngakoue).
However, this year, and most likely next year, are lost causes. The Vikings will not be good until they fix the interior offensive and defensive lines. Due to the amount of money being paid to (mainly) Kirk Cousins, this is a tall task.
We won't be getting Trevor Lawrence. The Jets are not going to win a game, so you can forget about the Clemson signal-caller. Instead, have some highlights of projected mid-first round pick Trey Lance, a Minnesotan at North Dakota State University. He's a gifted scrambler and powerful runner with a big arm, perfectly suited for a modern offense.
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