The Purple Gang is coming off consecutive losing campaigns. But the Minnesota Vikings are in different hands these days. What can be expected this season?
The last time the Minnesota Vikings reached the postseason was 2019. The club wound up stunning the New Orleans Saints in overtime at the Superdome in the Wild Card round before being pushed around by the eventual NFC champion San Fransisco 49ers in California.
But instead of building on that year, the team followed it up with consecutive losing seasons. The Vikings finished 7-9 in 2020 and a season ago fell to 8-9. It meant changes to the organization as head coach Mike Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman were given their pink slips.
Now the team looks to rebound in a big way. And here are three things to keep an eye on when it comes to the Purple Gang in 2022.
Vikings bold predictions: OLB Danielle Hunter totals 12-plus sacks
During his first five seasons in the league, Danielle Hunter proved to be quite a pleasant surprise. Hunter was a third-round pick by Minnesota in 2015. The former LSU standout played in 78 regular-season contests and rolled up 54.5 sacks and six forced fumbles.
But injuries have taken their toll the past two seasons (via Will Ragatz of SI.com). Hunter sat out all of 2020 (herniated disc) and missed the team’s final 10 games this past year. But he started the club’s first seven contests in 2021 and racked up 38 tackles and six sacks.
Hunter will make the move from defensive end to outside linebacker in Ed Donatell’s defense. And with newcomer Za’Darius Smith on the other side, look for the Vikings’ standout to return to Pro Bowl form.
Vikings bold predictions: New career TD pass total for QB Kirk Cousins
There is still one issue that plagues the 10-year veteran and that’s his tendency to put the ball on the ground. Since becoming a full-time starter in 2015 – first with Washington and now with the Vikings – quarterback Kirk Cousins has missed just two games over that span. But in each of those seven seasons, he fumbled a minimum of nine times in each of those seasons. All told, he’s lost 28 fumbles in that seven-year span.
That’s the bad news. Meanwhile, there are plenty of positives to focus on when it comes to Cousins despite his numerous critics. He has quite the touchdown pass (223) to interception differential (91) during his 10-year NFL career with two clubs. In four seasons with Minnesota, he has thrown for 124 scores and been picked off 36 times.
But it’s worth noting that Cousins has served up 30-plus TD passes in three of his four seasons with the Purple Gang, including a career-high 35 touchdown tosses in 2020.
The new head coach is Kevin O’Connell and his offensive coordinator is Wes Phillips. Both come over from Sean McVay’s staff with the Rams. Look for Cousins to benefit from their presence and set a new personal high for aerial scores in a season.
Vikings bold predictions: Lead the league in takeaways
After eight seasons in the Twin Cities, veteran defensive coach Mike Zimmer was dismissed by the organization. Despite his team reaching the NFC title game in 2017, he was never able to lead the club to consecutive playoff appearances. The Vikings finished the past two seasons with a losing record.
Enter first-time NFL sideline leader Kevin O’Connell of the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams. But it’s worth noting that the organization made another significant hiring in defensive coordinator Ed Donatell. His most recent stop came in Denver, where he spent the past three seasons under Vic Fangio. Before that, he was on the staff of the Chicago Bears.
Now the Vikings are hoping that the experienced defensive mind can solve the team’s recent issues on this side of the ball. There’s still talent here with veteran safety Harrison Smith as newcomers such as edge rusher Za’Darius Smith and sturdy inside linebacker Jordan Hicks. A year ago, Minnesota gave up the third-most total yards in the league.
Of course, if you can’t stop an opposing offense, the next best thing is to take away the football. The Vikings forced a respectable 24 turnovers in 2021. But that was 10 fewer than the Dallas Cowboys (34), who led the league in that category. Look for Donatell to help the club improve on that takeaway total.