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Four reasons the Minnesota Vikings will win the NFC North

By Jonathan Griggs

Nov 13, 2016; Landover, MD, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford (8) throws the ball against the Washington Redskins in the first quarter at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 13, 2016; Landover, MD, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford (8) throws the ball against the Washington Redskins in the first quarter at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Minnesota Vikings will take the NFC North when all is said and done this NFL season

Five weeks ago, the Minnesota Vikings were atop the NFL as the only remaining undefeated team. However, four consecutive losses have conjured up memories of 2003, when the Mike Tice-led squad started 6-0 only to miss the postseason.

With their season appearing to be in shambles, here are four reasons why the Vikings will still win the NFC North.

4)  An Improving Offense?

You read that correctly, there are signs that the Vikings’ offense is starting to figure things out. Certainly the Minnesota offense has been downright putrid for much of this four-game losing streak but it’s important to consider the philosophical clash that was occurring within the coaching staff.

Following their Week 6 bye, the offense seemed to go away from some of the things that made them successful during their 5-0 start. With a decimated line, then offensive coordinator Norv Turner appeared to revert to play calling that had Sam Bradford routinely taking five or seven step drops. With arguably the worst offensive line in the league, Bradford was hit hard and often, and to no surprise registered his worst two performances thus far this season with quarterback ratings of 71.6 and 88.6 against Philadelphia and Chicago respectively.

Since the resignation of Turner, the Vikings have returned to more of a West Coast Offense approach under interim coordinator Pat Shurmur. The results haven’t been perfect, but Bradford over the past two weeks has thrown for 580 yards while completing 77.5 percent of his passes and registering quarterback ratings of 104.9 and 103.4 against Detroit and Washington. More importantly, the past two weeks have only seen the Vikings quarterback get sacked five times combined after getting sacked 11 times the previous two weeks, so getting the ball out of his hand quicker has not only helped them move the chains but reduce the punishment inflicted by the opposing defenses.

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