NFL: Can the Minnesota Vikings end their Super Bowl drought this season?
As of 2021, the Minnesota Vikings are one of 12 NFL franchises never to have won a Super Bowl. Along with the Vikings in the NFC, the Detroit Lions, Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons, and Arizona Cardinals have also yet to taste Super Bowl glory.
Over in the AFC, the Tennessee Titans, Los Angeles Chargers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texans, Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals, and Buffalo Bills are yet to win a Lombardi trophy, too.
Out of these 12 teams, only a few currently have enough talent on their roster to end their Super Bowl drought and the Minnesota Vikings fall into that minority. But can they go all the way in the 2021 NFL season?
Can the Minnesota Vikings end their Super Bowl drought in the 2021 NFL season?
2020 was a major step backward for the Minnesota Vikings as they finished in third place in the NFC North. It was a highly disappointing season for coach Mike Zimmer's team, especially after making it to the divisional round of the playoffs the previous year. Despite the setback, the Vikings will look at the 2021 season with tremendous optimism.
The Minnesota Vikings employ the NFL's most dynamic running back Dalvin Cook and the best rookie wideout Justin Jefferson. They also have the likes of Anthony Harris and Harrison Smith operating on defense, giving them a strong core on both sides of the ball.
In QB Kirk Cousins, running back Dalvin Cook, and wideouts Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen, the Vikings have one of the most enviable offensive quartets on paper in the NFL.
However, Cousins has been lambasted by fans and analysts alike for some putrid performances last season. But the truth is, his offensive line just doesn't hold up and Cousins rarely gets time to survey the field and find receivers.
The Vikings' offensive line has been an issue for years and was graded the 28th-best pass-blocking OL in the 2020 NFL season. Ezra Cleveland’s 6.9% pressure rate allowed saw him ranked 37th out of 40 right guards in his rookie year. Garrett Bradbury’s 5.1% pressure rate allowed ranked 34th out of 36 centers, and Dakota Dozier’s pressure rate allowed of 8% ranked him at 36th out of 39 left guards according to PFF.
Until the Vikings sort out the glaring issues they have upfront, Cousins will continue to come under pressure in the pocket and continue to make bad decisions.
On defense, the Minnesota Vikings are stacked at the safety position with Smith and Harris (at least for the moment as they are expected to lose at least one in the free agency). But there are notable issues in coverage that could stop them from competing at the very top in the short term.
In the 2020 NFL season, the cornerback slots were primarily filled by rookies Cameron Dantzler and Jeff Gladney. The Vikings had five corners complete 125 snaps over the course of the year and only Dantzler graded above 51.0, according to PFF. Dantzler put in some top performances towards the end of the season so he could be a mainstay moving forward.
Regardless, the Vikings need to improve in coverage before they can be considered true Super Bowl contenders. They ranked 23rd in pass coverage in the 2020 NFL season, which simply won't cut it.
In summary, it's impossible to discount any team that features Dalvin Cook, Adam Thielen, and Justin Jefferson on offense, but as of right now, it's unlikely the Minnesota Vikings will make a Super Bowl. But if they fix their O-line issues and solve the cornerback conundrum, they could go deep, and perhaps all the way, into the playoffs in the 2021 NFL season.