4 moves that got the Minnesota Vikings back to .500 after Week 13

Not trading any core players at the deadline

With a 2-5 record at the time of this season’s trade deadline, no one would’ve blamed the Vikings if they ended up dealing some of the expensive veteran players on their roster.

There were certainly plenty of rumors flying around the trade deadline that involved some pretty notable members of Minnesota’s roster including Adam Thielen, Riley Reiff, Anthony Harris, Harrison Smith, and Kyle Rudolph.

But in the end, the Vikings didn’t make any more trades after dealing Yannick Ngakoue to the Ravens in October. This decision has worked out very well for Minnesota.

Each of the guys who were a part of all the trade rumors leading up to the deadline have all stepped up their play since the Vikings returned from their bye week.

Reiff is having one of his best seasons since he signed with Minnesota in 2017, Rudolph has made a number of impactful plays, Thielen is a red zone touchdown catching machine, and Smith and Harris have played a key role in the improvement of the team’s defensive secondary.

6 current Vikings who might not be on the roster in 2021

Which current members of the Minnesota Vikings roster might not be around when the team returns to the field for the first time in 2021?

If Minnesota had traded any of their core players before this year’s deadline, getting their record back to .500 likely wouldn’t have happened. But thanks to the Vikings not making any deadline deals, the team is at 6-6 after Week 13 and in possession of the seventh and final seed in the NFC playoff standings.