Fear not Vikings fans; hope remains
August 30: A Tuesday afternoon full of blue skies, sunshine, happiness, and optimism. With a brand new stadium, a pro bowl caliber defense, one of the greatest running backs ever, and a star quarterback with great promise, the Minnesota Vikings looked to be on the rise.
However, this hope and optimism was cut down mercilessly by a cruel turn of bad luck. Teddy Bridgewater suffered a non-contact knee injury during practice, dislocating his kneecap, and tearing straight through his ACL.
When Bridgewater went down with the injury, many immediately wrote the Vikings off as a team doomed to fail without their quarterback. However, Vikings fans should fear not, and here are the reasons why.
As last year proved, the Vikings don’t need to pass much. Averaging only 33 attempts and 18 completions a game last year, Norv Turner’s offense was very successful at taking the air out of the ball, limiting mistakes, letting the defense do their thing, and getting out with the win.
Featuring one of the best defenses in the NFL and one of the greatest running backs of all time, the Vikings game is tough, smashmouth football at its best, drawing similarities to Super Bowl winning teams with that style (i.e. 2015 Denver Broncos, 2013 Seahawks, etc.).
The 2015 Broncos proved that you don’t need a superstar quarterback to win The Big Game. Rotating between the legendary but aged sheriff Peyton Manning and his young and inexperienced underling Brock Osweiler, the Broncos leaned heavily on their defense, doing so with much success. This year’s Vikings can do the same. The trade for Sam Bradford alleviates much of Minnesota’s quarterback stresses; bringing in a proven veteran with the arm strength to make throws to all quadrants of the field was an excellent move. If Bradford plays the way he did at the end of last season, the Vikings are all but guaranteed success.
The final––but certainly not the least of these reasons: Adrian Peterson. Although he’s 31, the seven time pro bowler, 2012 MVP, three time rushing champ, and guaranteed hall of famer has shown no sign of slowing down. Peterson has shouldered the burden of offensive responsibility before, and can undoubtedly do it again.
Although they lost their starting quarterback, the Vikes will achieve much success throughout this next season. With a strong defense and a tier one ground and pound offense, they will remain a team to be feared.
