Fansided

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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Nov 13, 2016; Landover, MD, USA; Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer stands on the sidelines against the Washington Redskins in the second quarter at FedEx Field. The Redskins won 26-20. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 13, 2016; Landover, MD, USA; Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer stands on the sidelines against the Washington Redskins in the second quarter at FedEx Field. The Redskins won 26-20. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

1)  Leadership

The early success to this 2016 campaign may have made people forget just how much adversity the Vikings had endured in the early going. Injuries may not be an excuse but they are an explanation as to why this team has struggled over the past month. Just ask yourself how many other teams could overcome losing both of their starting tackles (Matt Kalil and Andre Smith), their premier offensive threat (Adrian Peterson), as well as their starting quarterback (Teddy Bridgewater). The injury bug now seems to have affected the other side of the ball as defensive starters Eric Kendricks, Andrew Sendejo, and Captain Munnerlyn have all missed time during this losing streak.

Not to mention, former first round pick, Shariff Floyd has been out since Week 1.

Since taking over as head coach in 2014, Mike Zimmer has done an excellent job building a culture of winning and competitiveness on a team that was floundering under Leslie Frazier and Brad Childress in the years prior. Maybe the media and Minnesota fans got way ahead of themselves after the team began the year 5-0, but perhaps they aren’t as bad as they’ve looked over the last four contests. Certainly, you can make the case that a lucky break here or there in the Detroit or Washington games and the team could easily be 7-2.

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Zimmer and his staff have dealt with setbacks and controversy before when, during the 2014 season, they were without Peterson for 15 games due to suspension and forced to play Bridgewater as a rookie. With a young, short-handed roster, Zimmer was able to keep the team together and lead them to a seven-win season and play most teams competitively in defeat.

The past two seasons have shown that the Wilf family made the right hire when selecting Zimmer to lead this team forward. The Vikings’ ship is going through rough waters at the moment and if sports has taught us something it’s that a strong head coach is what prevents the ship from sinking.

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