Minnesota Vikings Take Aim For A Top-10 Offense

When people think of the Minnesota Vikings, they think of a young team on the rise. Exciting players like Xavier Rhodes, Harrison Smith, Sharrif Floyd, Anthony Barr, and Everson Griffen have given a lot of encouragement for the team’s defense, but there is the other side of the ball that also needs quite a bit of attention.

Fans in Minnesota seem encouraged about the return of Adrian Peterson, development of Teddy Bridgewater and competition at both tight end and wide receiver. and they’re not the only ones that believe the Vikings offense could be significantly better in 2015.

In a recent video on Vikings.com, Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Norv Turner talked about the next step he wants the team to take, becoming a much more efficient offense:

"“We want to be a top-10 offense. We want to be an offense that helps win games. Stats aren’t as important to me. There’s key areas where we want to be good. We want to protect the ball. We want to be a great two-minute, great red-zone offense.”"

Nov 30, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Norv Turner meets with people before the game with the Carolina Panthers at TCF Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

Last year, the Minnesota Vikings offense struggled mightily at times to score points and relied on their young defense to keep the game close. This year, the team’s offensive unit has had time to recover from their injuries and will also have the opportunity of having former NFL MVP running back Adrian Peterson to help take pressure off the passing game.

One thing that the Vikings didn’t have last year is Mike Wallace.

The former Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami Dolphins pass catcher will join an offense that has been desperately seeking a deep threat wide receiver for several years now. Minnesota showed interest in Wallace during free agency in 2013, but failed to land him. When they saw the opportunity to trade with Miami for the rights to Wallace, they couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

In fact, Norv Turner thinks that Mike Wallace can make a big impact for the Minnesota Vikings.

"“He’s a playmaker. The more guys you have that can make big plays and score touchdowns—he caught 10 touchdowns last year. I laugh when people talk about [how] he wasn’t successful in Miami. He was a very productive player and did the things they asked him to do.”"

A top 10 offense could be a lofty goal. For 2014, the Minnesota Vikings ranked 27th in total yards, 26th in yards per play, 26th in first downs per game and, 21st in 3rd down conversion percentage. While it is nice to think that the team will continue to improve and mesh together, actually reaching top-10 status will take a lot of work.

Next: Minnesota Vikings 2015 Game By Game Previews

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