With the Toronto Raptors just winning their first ever NBA championship, will the Minnesota Vikings be the next sports team to end their title drought?
The Minnesota Vikings have yet to win a Super Bowl. Could they be the next sports franchise to end their championship drought though?
Just last month, the Toronto Raptors won their first championship in franchise history. Yes, this was only their 24th season in existence, but their title drought still came to an end.
In 2004, the Boston Red Sox won their first World Series title since 1918. That run also included beating the rival New York Yankees in seven games after trailing 3-0 in the American League Championship Series. “The Curse of the Bambino” was defeated and the Red Sox even went on to win three more titles in 2007, 2013 and 2018.
Two years ago, the Philadelphia Eagles won their first Super Bowl (sorry Vikings fans). Whether it is this season or in the near future, could the Vikings be the next team to finally win their first Super Bowl and also be the next sports franchise to end their championship drought?
It definitely won’t be easy (winning championships never are), but you never say never. Minnesota is a very talented team and the NFL is always so unpredictable.
Since Mike Zimmer took over as head coach, the Vikings have always had one of the best defenses in the league. However, Minnesota’s offense has been a bit up and down during Zimmer’s tenure.
The Vikings offense ranked 11th overall in 2017 and 20th last season. Despite their inconsistency, the unit still has a good chance at ranking in the top 15 this year and perhaps even in the top 10 if everything falls in place.
Staying healthy, of course, is always a very huge key. But in addition to that, can their offensive line show enough improvement with the additions of free agent guard Josh Kline and first-round center Garrett Bradbury? The line will only get better (it has to), but exactly how much is the question.
In addition to bad offensive line play, last year’s team also had to deal with the unexpected death of Tony Sparano. His coaching not only was missed, but his leadership was as well.
Two years ago, the unit looked decent and it really helped the team tremendously. If the Vikings’ offensive line can even be average in 2019, it will be a big help for the team.
The health of running back Dalvin Cook will also be one of the biggest keys to the upcoming season for Minnesota. Cook has dealt with injuries during his first two years with the Vikings, but he has shown how big of a weapon he could be in both the running and passing game during the times he has actually been out on the field.
Minnesota’s defense will, once again, be the team’s main identity and strength. But don’t sleep on the Vikings’ offense being very good in 2019 too.
The Los Angeles Rams were last year’s NFC Champions and they could very well be again this season, but every year is different. The New England Patriots keep proving to be a threat as long as they have a guy named Tom Brady under center.
The Eagles are also still a very talented bunch and they ended the 2018 season well after a slow start.
Whether it is this year, next year, or even the year after, maybe, just maybe the Vikings will become the next sports franchise to finally end their championship drought. If they did, Minnesota would be the first team from the Twin Cities to win a major sports championship since 1991 when the Twins won the World Series.
The Vikings and their fanbase have been waiting and waiting for far too long to finally hoist that Lombardi Trophy. The wait might not have to go on much longer.
If and when Minnesota finally wins a Super Bowl, one can be assured that everyone associated with the franchise will feel like a huge gorilla finally fell off their backs.