The Minnesota Vikings are a fluke, a one year wonder, they only won the division due to the injuries of the Green Bay Packers. The Vikings heard those statements as they headed to the playoffs last season and all this off-season but I’m here to explain how so far from the truth that is.
The Vikings are no success story. They planned, worked and executed to get where they are now. While the Packers may had trouble last season, they are no different from any other NFL team that had to deal with adversity. According to Packers fans and the media, they have Aaron Rodgers but apparently he wasn’t enough to stop the Vikes from laying claim to the NFC North throne.
“But they came out of no where”
No they didn’t. There were struggle years, off the field issues, coaching concerns and bad player habits but they fought their way through it all, preserved and handled business. Is that not what everyone thought of the Packers when they were riding high? So why is the respect not there for the Vikings? You want to talk about star power, fine. The Pack has Rodgers, one of if not the best QB in the league but despite his best receiver being injured was he not still supposed to find a way to lead his team? The Chicago Bears have Jay Cutler and all his issues and the Detroit Lions are, well they have one of the best stadiums in the NFL. But to say the Vikes season was a fluke is a slap in the face of anyone who loves this sport.
There is no Rodgers but they do have one of the up and coming young QBs in Teddy Bridgewater, who played as a rookie but yet managed to lead the fluke Vikings to a division title. While the talk of Rodgers and his injured receiving core was an excuse, what can you say about the Vikings receivers? There are no Pro Bowl players there. Only one receiver caught more than 50 balls (Stefon Diggs- 52) and that was another rookie. Not one receiver accumulated over 800 yards but the talk is imagine what the Pack could have done if they had this player or that player healthy. The Vikings won with youth, talent and focus. Where is the fluke?
Star player? What is Adrian Peterson then? Is he not a star? Is he not the best RB in the NFL? How could you not root for this guy? You want to attack him for the issue with HIS child then go ahead because it’s the only way you can try to drag him down. Peterson could have left to sign somewhere else, just given up on the team that drafted him and stuck by his side while other brushed him to the left, but he didn’t, he put on his pads and rushed for 1485 yards and 11 TDs while carrying an entire offense, team and city on his back. Did Rodgers manage to do that, Cutler or Stafford?
“But they lost to the 49ers”
So what. That was the first game of the season with a rookie QB at the helm. But don’t forget to mention their wins against the Packers at Lambeau, the Chiefs and a tight one against the Cardinals (loss). There’s no fluke in Minnesota, this is a team that has hit their stride at the right time and will only get better this season as those same non-experienced players will have a season under their belts, another off-season to build chemistry and re-evaluate what went wrong last year.
Should the Vikings be worried about a healthy Packers team? No, the Packers better be worried about how to stop the so-called fluke NFC North champs.