Green Bay Packers: Previewing the 2021 Minnesota Vikings
By Paul Bretl
With the Green Bay Packers regular season now just right around the corner, I wanted to preview each member of the NFC North, providing some insight into how their offseasons went, their strengths and weaknesses, and what to expect this season.
To do this properly and to provide the best information on Green Bay’s familiar foes, I’ve called in some help and will be asking five questions to a writer who covers the Detroit Lions, the Minnesota Vikings, and the Chicago Bears.
Up first in our preview is the Vikings and Adam Carlson of The Viking Age — a member of the FanSided Network that covers anything and everything about the Minnesota Vikings– was kind enough to answer my questions and provide us with some valuable insights.
Last season, the Vikings finished the year 7-9 and missed the playoffs, although they did go 1-1 against the Green Bay Packers.
By Football Outsiders’ DVOA metric, which takes into account several variables such as down and distance, and measures team effectiveness on a play-by-play basis compared to the league average, the Vikings offense ranked eighth last season while the defense ranked 18th.
For some added context. the Green Bay Packers finished first on offense and 17th on defense in these same categories. Minnesota’s 26.9 points per game would rank 11th, and the 29.7 points per game that their defense allowed ranked 29th.
However, that was last season, and 2021 is a brand new year. So now, let’s dive in and take a closer look at this year’s Minnesota Vikings team.
Were there any major additions made to the Vikings roster this offseason?
Adam: The Minnesota Vikings entered the 2021 offseason looking to improve the defense and build on the offensive line. There were some successes and failures in their attempts, but overall the team’s efforts on defense should prove to be well worthwhile, especially with the additions of the “Meaty Boy” Dalvin Tomlinson on the line and Patrick Peterson/Bashaud Breeland in the secondary to go with new starting safety Xavier Woods.
Were there any key players that they lost?
Adam: Letting Riley Reiff walk might be the biggest decision the Vikings had to make this offseason. Now, backup Rashod Hill looks to be the starter until Christian Darrisaw is healthy enough to return to the starting lineup. However, many fans point to the injury to Irv Smith Jr. as being the biggest loss of the year since his meniscus surgery will likely keep him out for the entire season when he was posted to have a great year.
What is the strength of the 2021 Vikings?
Adam: Minnesota’s biggest strength this year should be the middle of the line. Dalvin Tomlinson and Michael Pierce should provide a big, solid wall that opposing teams need to gameplan around. Last year, that was a huge weakness for the team, but these new acquisitions will keep the opposition from running all over the purple and gold.
What is the biggest weakness of the 2021 Vikings?
Adam: The offensive line is still a bit of a scary situation. Rashod Hill holding down left tackle is a scary situation, and his performance will likely impact how much time Kirk Cousins has in the pocket to pick apart opposing defenses. If he can hold his own, the sky could be the limit for the offense. But, if he struggles, this could be a long season for the Vikings passing game.
What are the expectations for the team this season?
Adam: If the Minnesota Vikings brought in all these veteran players and fail to return to the playoffs, the seat will start to get hot for Mike Zimmer. Last season was hugely disappointing for the purple and gold, but bringing in veterans and getting players with experience to help the young talent grow and develop should pay dividends for the team’s future.