The biggest Vikings weakness no one wants to talk about

What feels like a neverending problem for the franchise, the upcoming 2021 season for the Minnesota Vikings could be significantly impacted by the team’s kicking game.

Back in March, the Minnesota Vikings decided to release kicker Dan Bailey after three seasons with the team.

Bailey only made 75 percent of his field-goal attempts in his first year with the Vikings in 2018, but the team still felt he deserved another shot in 2019. This decision ended up paying off for Minnesota as the veteran kicker hit 93.1 percent of his field-goal tries during the 2019 campaign.

Last season, however, Bailey drifted back to performing closer to how he did in 2018. He only managed to convert 68.2 percent of his field-goal attempts last year, which resulted in the Vikings feeling that his time as the team’s placekicker needed to be over.

Once again, the fate of the Minnesota Vikings could depend on the performance of their kicker

Even after Bailey’s release this offseason, there hasn’t been much talk about Minnesota’s current kicking situation as the 2021 campaign quickly approaches.

Heading into this summer’s training camp, it looks like the Vikings will be holding a kicker competition between veteran Greg Joseph and undrafted rookie Riley Patterson.

Joseph has only attempted 20 field goals during his entire NFL career, and since he’s a rookie, Patterson hasn’t even kicked a football in a preseason game.

Part of the reason Minnesota gave Bailey another chance in 2019 was due to his experience. Before joining the Vikings, the veteran kicker had attempted a total of 211 field goals as a member of the Dallas Cowboys.

The last time Minnesota went with an inexperienced kicker into a season was in 2018 with Daniel Carlson, and we all know how poorly that turned out. Could the Vikings be heading into a similar situation?

There is a lot of excitement surrounding Minnesota this year as some believe they have the necessary pieces to contend in the NFC.

The Vikings added a bunch of talent on the defensive side of the ball and the majority of their offensive arsenal from 2020 is set to return to the field this year.

But none of this will matter if Minnesota has to deal with another season in which the team is held back by a poor kicking situation.