3 Minnesota Vikings who will make or break Super Bowl dreams

The Minnesota Vikings entered the 2024 NFL season as afterthoughts, especially after J.J. McCarthy suffered a season-ending injury before his rookie campaign even began, but they've been anything but irrelevant 17 weeks into the year.

With their win over the Green Bay Packers, the Vikings improved to 14-2 and have overtaken the Detroit Lions for first place in the NFC North. They'd need to defeat the Lions in Week 18 to win the division, but a playoff spot has been clinched. Even if they wind up as the NFC's No. 5 seed, they're clearly one of the best teams in the NFL with legitimate Super Bowl aspirations.

For the Vikings to make their run through the NFC and to the Super Bowl, they're going to need the whole team, but especially these three individuals, to be on top of their games in January.

3) Jordan Addison must give opposing defenses something to think about

The Vikings have the fortune of rostering arguably the best receiver in football. If Justin Jefferson isn't the most talented receiver in the sport, he's the second-most talented. He's that dominant. Given how great of a player he is, he is going to command the full attention of opposing defenses. Knowing this, Jordan Addison must show up.

Addison is extremely talented in his own right. There's a reason Minnesota took him in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He entered Sunday's game with 56 receptions, 806 yards receiving, and eight touchdowns. He tacked on another six receptions for 69 yards and a touchdown in Minnesota's win. The Vikings will need that kind of output, or better, consistently, for them to make their way through the NFC.

The Vikings know Jefferson is going to show up. He's recorded at least 70 yards in all but three of their games. The only times he failed to eclipse the 70-yard mark came in matchups against teams with a combined 11 wins as of this writing. He's surpassed 115 yards receiving five times. If Addison chips in a big game alongside Jefferson, the Vikings will be in good shape on the offensive side of the ball. If it's a Jefferson-only offense, they might be in trouble.

2) Brian Flores' defense will have to show up against the best of the best

The biggest reason why the Vikings are where they are is because their defense under Brian Flores has been nothing short of incredible. They entered the day having surrendered just 18.4 points per game, among the best in the NFL. Their defense against elite competition this season, though, hasn't been quite as impressive.

The Packers averaged 27 points per game in their two meetings against Minnesota. The Detroit Lions scored 31 points in their lone meeting against the Vikings. The Los Angeles Rams scored 30. Those are three NFC playoff teams who managed to put together relatively big games against Minnesota's vaunted defense. It isn't a surprise that the Vikings have gone just 2-2 in those games, and narrowly held off the Packers both times.

For the Vikings to have success in the playoffs, that's going to have to change. Containing elite offenses is tough, especially in the playoffs, but Brian Flores must find a way to draw up a game plan that results in a rough day for the opposition. Without that, the Vikings might be looking at an earlier exit than they'd like.

1) Sam Darnold must cement himself as an elite quarterback

Sam Darnold did it again. Minnesota's gunslinger completed 33 of his 43 passing attempts for 377 yards and three touchdowns with only one interception in Minnesota's win on Sunday. This showing only added to his resurgent season.

Darnold won't be the NFL's MVP award winner, and likely won't be a finalist, but he's certainly been the most improved quarterback in the sport. He entered the day completing 67.2 percent of his throws for 3,776 yards and 32 touchdowns and only made those numbers look even better with his gaudy statistical output on Sunday.

As fun as it has been to see Darnold have a great regular season, the playoffs are a different beast. Can Darnold do this against this Packers team when the lights are brighter? Can he get his high-end weapons the ball at the right time and in the right spot? We know Kevin O'Connell will put him in a position to succeed, but Darnold is the one who must execute.

Darnold has been a feel-good story this season, but for the Vikings to have success, he must cement himself as an elite quarterback. Elite quarterback play is how you beat the likes of Jalen Hurts, Jordan Love, and Jared Goff in January. Hopefully, Darnold can find a way to get it done and make himself a whole lot of money in the process.