Majority of early predictions have the Vikings missing the playoffs in 2017
By Adam Patrick
A number of people who cover the NFL for a living do not see the Minnesota Vikings finding their way into the postseason this year.
Given all the crazy shenanigans that went down during the Minnesota Vikings’ 2016 season (Teddy injury, Zimmer’s eye, plane getting stuck, etc.), the team was still able to finish the year with a respectable 8-8 record. No playoff appearance, but it is hard to imagine that any team in the league would be able to succeed if faced with the same problems the Vikings had to deal with last season.
It has been over four months since Minnesota last played in a meaningful football game and it will not happen again until September 11. But now that the schedule has been released, the draft has concluded, and free agency has slowed down to an elderly pace, a good amount of content has begun to pop up regarding how people think the NFL season will pan out this year.
For the Vikings, the predictions do not see their 2017 record being much different, if any different at all, than their record last season.
Bleacher Report feels that Minnesota will finish behind the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers in the NFC North next year with an 8-8 record.
"“The Vikings are an average team in a pretty tough division headed by the Green Bay Packers with the Detroit Lions right there, too.Fortunately, the Chicago Bears are in the same division.”"
As part of ESPN’s 2017 predictions, Vikings reporter Ben Goessling agrees with Bleacher Report’s forecast and also has Minnesota ending the year with only eight wins.
"“The Vikings will take advantage of an early stretch of home games, but it’s a difficult late-season road schedule, including three consecutive road games against the Lions, Falcons and Panthers, that could end their playoff hopes. A Saturday night game on Dec. 23 against the Green Bay Packers doesn’t do them any favors, either.”"
Sports Illustrated’s Jonathan Jones released his 2017 NFL predictions last week and surprise, he also thinks the Vikings’ year will end with an 8-8 record in the final standings.
"“After a 5–0 start last year, the league caught up to (Sam) Bradford and the Vikings, who went 3–8 after their bye week. Minnesota will need to get creative this summer.”More from The Viking Age6 biggest draft steals in Minnesota Vikings historyFormer Vikings first-round pick could reportedly return to NFC NorthBears analyst has extremely embarrassing Kirk Cousins take6 Vikings who (maybe) won’t make the 53-man roster in 2023Predicting what the Vikings will do in the 2023 NFL Draft based on 2022"
One of the few people who actually think the Vikings will improve upon their win total this season is Fox Sports’ Nick Wright (who also happens to be the co-host of an upcoming morning show on FS1 with former Minnesota wide receiver Cris Carter). Wright has the Vikings winning 10 games in 2017 and finishing second in the NFC North behind the Packers.
It may be a good thing that most of the early projections are counting Minnesota out of the postseason in 2017. History has shown that the Vikings usually play better during the years in which most do not consider them to be much of a factor heading into the season.
Next: What will McKinnon's role be in 2017?
Perhaps they will just have to prove everyone wrong once again this year.