So far this year it seems that no one has been able to figure out what the Minnesota Vikings are. Many have called them fraudulent even at 12-3 with some top tier wins. Few have claimed they are for real and can contend for a Super Bowl, and a really bad loss to Dallas doesn’t help their case. The one thing that I’ve noticed though is that this team has grit and a fight to them.
They don’t give up, as seen so many times this season. I see them as the most dangerous team in the NFL (which I will explain momentarily). They have proven they can play with anyone and beat anyone, anywhere on any given day. The Vikings have proven they have the talent to match anyone in the biggest moments so far, so just how dangerous are the Vikings?
Why Are The Vikings More Dangerous Than Any Other Team?
Okay, so let me get this out of the way first. I do not think the Vikings are the best team in the league. They have shown the potential to be, but they have yet to prove it. I also don’t consider them to be a Super Bowl contender right now. I do see them being able to make a run in the postseason or at least a divisional round appearance, maybe even the conference championship if they are lucky.
So, what exactly makes this year’s Minnesota Vikings so dangerous? While teams like the Eagles, Cowboys, Bengals, Chiefs, Bills, and 49ers are all teams I would consider to be playing at better and more consistent level week-to-week. The thing with these teams is that when you play them, you know who you are going to play. Each team has shown their general level of play and/or dominance. We know how good the Chiefs, Bills, 49ers, Eagles are.
We know what kind of teams they are. We’ve seen them week in and week out prove again how good they are. Their strengths and weaknesses are obvious. Teams know how they match up against them when they meet.
Minnesota, on the other hand, is a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde. We don’t know who you will get quarter-to-quarter. The statistics say one thing, yet, there have been so many times when they say one thing only for them to go out and have the exact opposite happen. To start the year the Vikings gave up zero points in the fourth quarter. Then the Saints scored 12, two weeks later the Dolphins and Teddy Bridgewater scored 13. They just do things like that. You see one thing and are like, that’s who they are and then they do the opposite leaving everyone confused.
This is what makes them so dangerous. You don’t know if or when they’re going to find lightning in a bottle. It could be in the first half and put you in a hole and then let their opponents climb back or have to rally themselves to win or vice versa. This is the danger the Vikings have in being more unpredictable other than that they will win by a single score or lose by more than eight points. That’s the only consistency they really have. That and they have won a lot of games.
The Minnesota Vikings Potential Makes Them That Much More Dangerous
This is also something I see with the Minnesota Vikings this year. They have shown at certain moments to possess one of the league’s best offenses, if not the best, when they are playing at their top level (i.e. second half against the Colts and Bills). Look at the offense and defense two weeks ago in the second half against the Colts. Kirk Cousins threw for over 400 yards and the defense held Indianapolis to just three points, outscoring them 39-3. Imagine if they played at that level for a full four quarters. It would be hard not to see them as a legit Super Bowl contender.
This team has the ability to play at the highest level. They just don’t seem to be able to do it at a consistent level. Again, when your opponent has the ability to flip a switch and just straight up dominate you, it’s a big concern, especially when that opponent came back from the largest deficit in NFL history. This is why they are so dangerous. The Vikings haven’t played a full four quarters this season. They haven’t dominated anyone all year. This is what this team needs to prove over the last two games, that they can blowout someone and own them start to finish. If they can do this, they’ll be a legit threat come the postseason.
What Their Resume Says To Support This
The Vikings so far this year have wins over four teams who sit at .500 or above. Two of their three losses come from teams who are above .500. They also have wins over five teams who are under .500 but are either still in the hunt for their division or a playoff spot. The Minnesota Vikings best win was at Buffalo where they came back from 17 down to win 33-30 in OT. Their worst loss was to Dallas 40-3. Even their loss to Philadelphia wasn’t that bad. It was 24-7 and should have been much closer if it weren’t for some self-inflicted wounds.
The Vikings have swept the AFC east and went 2-2 against the NFC east. This team has played all sorts of teams, who many consider to be better than the Vikings, and the thing is they’ve beaten a lot of them. They are 3-1 against the NFC north which is looking better as of the moment with a big game against the Packers this Sunday.
The Vikings are a good team, you can’t say otherwise. You don’t win 12 games just by luck. You don’t win 11 one score games and have eight fourth quarter comebacks because you are lucky. It takes skill, talent, fight, grit, and a lot of determination. With all of that comes the danger they have and ability to come back from any situation. This team is the most dangerous, and they may be the best. We’ll just have to wait and see.
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