The Minnesota Vikings have some talented players on their roster but which ones will be named to the Pro Bowl for their efforts during the 2021 NFL season?
Eight games remain on the schedule for the Minnesota Vikings this season but that doesn’t stop the NFL from opening up the voting on their website for fans to help get their favorite players into the Pro Bowl.
Voting is open now on NFL.com and you can vote for nearly any player from any team to be part of the 2022 Pro Bowl on February 6 in Las Vegas. However, it might be tough for members of the Vikings to make the squad.
Since Minnesota isn’t a huge market, it will be hard for them to get a lot of attention from voters. Plus, the 5-5 record of the Vikings isn’t going to help people who aren’t fans of the purple and gold make the decision to vote for one of their players.
Still, there are four players who should be a lock to represent Minnesota during the 2022 Pro Bowl and four who should be considered for the honor but will likely fall short. Let’s take a look at these eight players.
Lock: Justin Jefferson – WR
If there is one player from the Minnesota Vikings that needs to be part of the Pro Bowl more than any other, it’s Justin Jefferson. No player for the team has been as high-octane as him and he is making a name for himself in his second year following his record-breaking rookie campaign.
Entering Week 12, Jefferson is fourth in receiving yards. Strangely enough, all four of the top yardage WRs are from the NFC, with Cooper Kupp of the Rams, Deebo Samuel of the 49ers, and Davante Adams of the Packers holding down the top three spots.
Jefferson is known for his explosive plays. He is tied for first in the NFL in receptions of 20 yards or more and averages 15 yards His stats are even more impressive when you consider that Minnesota has already had their bye week.
There is no doubt that No. 18 will be voted into the Pro Bowl and it would be absolutely shocking if he weren’t part of the NFL’s version of an All-Star Game because he would bring so much excitement and energy to the game.
Close Call: Harrison Smith – S
Harrison Smith knows a thing or two about Pro Bowls. He made the team five consecutive years from 2015 to 2019 and has a chance to return to the Pro Bowl for the 2022 event. Sadly, he will probably fall short of the honor.
Smith definitely has the respect of his peers because of his ability to do everything as a safety, but he faces a ton of great competition from the NFC, where only three players will make the cut. Budda Baker of the Cardinals, Jamal Adams of the Seahawks, Darnell Savage of the Packers, and others will make getting a spot a real challenge for Smith.
Sadly, Smith’s small market team combined with not leading in any statistical category and missing games due to COVID-19 all hurt his chances. 62 tackles, two sacks, and one forced fumble isn’t going to change anyone’s mind who hasn’t been watching him play.
At 32-years-old, Smith is getting older and playing in what is likely his last contract in the NFL since it runs through the 2025 season. The Vikings’ safety is playing well enough to get to the Pro Bowl, but he will be looked over for bigger names and flashier stats.
Lock: C.J. Ham – FB
At first, it’s easy to think that the Pro Bowl voters will look past C.J. Ham and vote in fullbacks who carry the ball more. After looking at the ballot, it would be a surprise if Ham doesn’t end up getting voted in.
Ham has some great positioning on the ballot and the fact that six fullbacks get voted in is amazing. Some teams don’t even use fullbacks anymore, making his route to the Pro Bowl even easier.
When you factor in the voting and Ham’s performance this season, he should be a lock. He is averaging 4.9 yards per rushing attempt and has caught 10 passes for 66 yards, to make his stats look better than those of a pure blocker.
As a blocker, Ham has done well leading the way for Dalvin Cook and helping to pick up blitzes and buy time for Kirk Cousins to make accurate throws. Much like Jefferson, it would be confusing if Ham ends up not getting voted into the Pro Bowl.
Close Call: Patrick Peterson – CB
When it comes to name recognition on the Minnesota Vikings roster, most fans outside the purple and gold at least know the name Patrick Peterson from his days as a dominant receiver and return man in Arizona.
Peterson has been named to the Pro Bowl eight times in his career. However, his last nod came in 2018 and It appears as though his drought will continue since he will likely come up short in voting this year.
Opposing teams have shown an amazing amount of respect for Peterson this year, targeting other players. Plus, he missed three games this season when he was placed on short-term injured reserve, hurting his chances even more.
Peterson has played seven games for the Vikings this season and has defended two passes but has zero interceptions to go with 16 tackles (one for a loss). The combination of disappointing stats and missed time will make it extremely tough to get in the Pro Bowl despite playing very well this year.
Lock: Eric Kendricks – LB
It’s absolutely mind-blowing that Eric Kendricks has only been named to the Pro Bowl once in his career. That one nod came in 2019 and it’s baffling as to why he has never been back to the NFL’s version of the all-star game.
Kendricks has 102 tackles on the season, making this his sixth consecutive season with 100 or more takedowns. He is only 11 tackles away from tying his career-best in tackles, which stands at 113 from his 2017 campaign.
There is no denying that Kendricks is one of the best linebackers in the league. He can truly do it all, whether he is asked to drop into coverage, contain the run game, or rush the passer. And he does it all at a high level.
IT would be an absolute travesty if Kendricks was somehow overlooked for the Pro Bowl this year. Two interceptions, four sacks, four pass defenses, and one fumble recovery in addition to his tackling should make him a prime candidate to get a nod this year.
Close Call: Adam Thielen – WR
This one hurts a little bit, but competition for wide receiver spots in the Pro Bowl is already going to be extremely competitive and Justin Jefferson is making such a name for himself that if only one Minnesota Vikings receiver makes the cut, it will likely be him.
Despite that, Adam Thielen has been to the Pro Bowl twice in his career and a case could be made that he belongs to be part of this year’s event. Through 10 games, he has caught 58 passes for 624 yards and eight touchdowns.
Only two players have caught more scores this year than Thielen. Cooper Kupp of the Rams and Mike Evans of the Buccanneers have ten each but both of them also have more receiving yardage than Thielen this year as well.
Thielen has made a great role for himself in the Vikings offense as a major red-zone threat and a player who can make the most of opportunities when defenses decide to focus on Justin Jefferson. But that won’t be enough for him to make the Pro Bowl.
Lock: Dalvin Cook – RB
Dalvin Cook has a lot of things going for him when it comes to Pro Bowl voting. Entering Week 12, he is sixth in rushing with 734 yards and has added 138 yards on 21 catches to give him a total of 872 yards of offense.
Those numbers should be able to help voters overlook the fact that Cook has only found the end zone four times this season. Part of that may be because he has only played eight games this season but another part is that Minnesota is opening up their passing game.
Cook has been a part of the two previous Pro Bowl events and should be able to get in to represent the NFC this year. The top competition at the position is several AFC players, including Jonathan Taylor, Nick Chubb, and Joe Mixon. Plus, Derrick Henry has been removed from voting, making the odds of Cook getting a vote even better.
Dalvin could really help his Pro Bowl chances by having a solid game against the 49ers and finding the end zone at least once. Even if he doesn’t, he still has a really good shot at getting voted in anyway.
Close Call: Kirk Cousins – QB
This one will be tough, but Kirk Cousins isn’t getting voted into the Pro Bowl. It’s confusing and terrible that he won’t be one of the three quarterbacks picked to represent the NFC, but he just doesn’t have the voting power.
It will be nearly impossible for him to get more votes than players like Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Kyler Murray, Matthew Stafford, and Russell Wilson based on their names alone and that’s a shame because Cousins is really killing it this year.
It is amazing that Cousins has only thrown two interceptions all season while attempting 374 passes. And it’s not as if he’s just checking down. He is tied for third for most plays of 20 yards or more (41), trailing only Tom Brady and Derek Carr.
Kirk has been to the Pro Bowl twice in his career and it is disappointing that he should be part of this year’s festivities but won’t. Instead, he will need to hope to be named as a replacement if one of the other quarterbacks is unable to participate.
Do you agree with these predictions for the 2022 Pro Bowl? Or do you think a Minnesota Vikings player will either sneak in or fail to make the squad? Let us know your predictions in the comments section.