Team Preview: Minnesota Vikings

2007 Record: 8-8

Their 2007 season was defined by the rise of Adrian Peterson from "rookie" to "elite running back." After starting the season 3-6, Minnesota won 5 straight games to put themselves in the driver seat for a playoff spot. However, teams had learned their lesson by week 15 and started stacking the box against AP, forcing Tavaris Jackson to win the game with his arm. Minnesota barely escaped in Week 16 in Chicago but ended the season with losses to Washington and Denver. Peterson had just 63 yards on 20 carries in the last two games.

The Vikings big offseason addition was defensive end Jared Allen from Kansas City, giving them one of the most formidable defensive lines in the league. They spent draft picks on getting some help in the secondary, which gave up 5 300-yard passing games last season. As usual, the Vikings run defense will be disgustingly good. In spite of having the #1 run defense in the league (74.1 yds/game) they had the league's worst pass defense (264.1 yds/game). This team isn't built to get into shootouts and struggles against teams with dynamic passing games. The Vikings start this season with games against Green Bay and Indianapolis, where their faulty pass defense will be put straight to the test. The Vikings did add former-CB-turned-safety Madieu Williams from Cincinnati, whose pass defense ranked 26th last year.

Last season, Minnesota out-passed their opponents in only one game when Tavaris Jackson bested Kyle Orton in week 15. Is Jackson the answer for this team? The Vikings go into camp with four quarterbacks on their roster and will have to settle on one by the time the season starts. Besides TJ, Minnesota has Brooks Bollinger, Gus Ferrotte, and John David Booty. Honestly, I think JDB might end up being the long-term solution for Minnesota. He probably won't play much this year, but if TJ struggles, look for the fans and media to usher a Booty call.

Maybe I just want to see him play so I can make that joke more often.

So what will happen to Minnesota in 2008? They are the trendy pick to win this division with the emergence of Adrian Peterson as a superstar. I'm not buying it (yet). Teams are going to stack the box against the run and make TJ beat them through the air.

Don't get me wrong, this team is good and in the bad NFC, they will challenge for a playoff spot (which means they'll be in the vicinity of .500). However, against teams like Indianapolis, New York (Giants), and New Orleans, they're going to struggle, especially if the game gets to be a shoot-out (which is entirely possible against New Orleans or Arizona).

Once they get the Quarterback situation figured out and improve their secondary, they'll be in position to make noise in the NFC, but for now, I don't see them reaching the double-digit-win plateau.

Ian's 2008 Prediction: 9-7
John's 2008 Prediction: 6-10