What are the keys to the 2020 Minnesota Vikings season?
The Minnesota Vikings enter the 2020 NFL season with more challenges afoot than usual. No season is easy or straightforward, but this one is a full plate of encumbrance.
For starters, the Vikings were assigned the NFL’s 10th-most difficult schedule. Based on 2019 win-loss records, the teams on the docket have a combined 2019 record of 131-123-2 (.516). Of course, a team’s performance from the year prior is not necessarily indicative of their future play. Yet, at this moment in time, the Vikings schedule has some sticky match-ups (on the road at Seattle and Tampa Bay, for example).
Additionally, this offseason was the first time head coach Mike Zimmer was truly tasked with reinventing his cherished defense. Several longstanding and popular free agents hit the road, mainly because Minnesota did not want to overpay for their services. It’s part of the reason the 2020 NFL Draft was such a fortune-telling experience for the Vikings. The event served as a glimpse of the immediate future rather than a cluster of men the team would develop for seasons down the line. The future is now.
The Vikings also lost their Miracle man when Stefon Diggs was dealt to the Buffalo Bills for draft picks.
Therefore, this season preview is a bit headier than years past. Let’s peek at the eight keys to the season for the purple and gold.