NFL: Forecasting the NFC North

Minnesota Vikings: 6-10

The Vikings had a 5-10-1 record last season. They had trouble both on offense and defense.

On offense, they basically had Adrian Peterson. There was a quarterback carousel between Christian Ponder, Matt Cassel and Josh Freeman.

This season, Cassel will open as the starter. The Vikings drafted Teddy Bridgewater, however, and some view it as only a matter of time before he takes over as the quarterback.

The question on Bridgewater was his arm. He doesn’t have a cannon arm. He doesn’t need one, though. He has shown a high level of football intelligence, so when he drops back he knows where he wants to go with the ball. For some reason, he dropped to the end of the first round, and the Vikings, in my opinion, got a steal. His throwing can open things up for the great Peterson. Expect Bridgewater to start in Week 11 against the Bears.

On defense, the Vikings revamped their defense. They signed defensive tackle Linval Joseph through free agency. They also shored up their cornerback spot by signing Captain Munnerlyn.

The Vikings did lose some key parts on defense. Perennial quarterback sack master Jared Allen and defensive tackle Kevin Williams left via free agency. The team is hoping Shariff Floyd at defensive tackle and Everson Griffen at defensive end can be adequate replacements.