7 takeaways from the Minnesota Vikings 2019 season

(Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images) Mike Zimmer
(Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images) Mike Zimmer
3 of 8
(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) Linval Joseph and Everson Griffen
(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) Linval Joseph and Everson Griffen

Minnesota’s defense will need some re-vamping

For the first time in a while, the Vikings’ defense didn’t perform like an elite unit in 2019. Minnesota’s pass defense ranked outside of the top three for the first time since 2015 and their performance against the run left plenty to be desired.

Guys like Everson Griffen, Linval Joseph, and Xavier Rhodes are no longer the perennial Pro Bowlers that they were not too long ago. The Vikings’ defense is full of players entering free agency this offseason and a number of these guys won’t be returning in 2020.

It will be interesting to see how Mike Zimmer re-adjusts his defense during the offseason. Zimmer certainly can’t be happy with how they performed this year and he’s likely going to work extra hard during the next few months to try and get them back to an elite level.

Whether this involves the unit getting younger or acquiring some better talent through free agency or trades, Minnesota’s defense will be enduring a bit of a makeover in 2020 and it’s something that probably should’ve happened during the last offseason.

Schedule