Vikings 11th in Peter King's NFL Power Rankings
Opinions are all over the place when it comes to the 2020 Vikings. There are those who believe they have the talent to once again make the playoffs and perhaps win a game or two, like they did last season. There are also those who think that Mike Zimmer's squad has lost too much talent and will regress as it rebuilds the secondary and offensive line.
Peter King of NBC Sports is among the more optimistic prognosticators. The longtime NFL writer recently released his 2020 power rankings, and he has the Vikings at No. 11. That's tops in the NFC North, one spot ahead of the Packers, despite Green Bay's strong season a year ago.
Here's what King had to say about the Vikings.
I love the deal GM Rick Spielman made prior to the draft, sending 26-year-old Stefon Diggs and a seventh-rounder to Buffalo for first, fourth, fifth and sixth-round draft picks, then choosing LSU slot receiver Justin Jefferson (who turns 21 in two weeks) with the 22nd pick. Jefferson caught 111 balls from Joe Burrow last year and though there’s no guarantee he’ll be, say, a 65-catch guy in an offense that wants to be fairly even in the run-pass ratio, there’s the added benefit of the Vikings saving about $8.5-million a year on the cap over the next three years in Jefferson’s deal versus Diggs’ contract. Not to mention the subtraction of a player in Diggs, who didn’t seem totally all-in with the Viking ethos.
Dalvin Cook could win a rushing title with his ability and the Minnesota love of the run. I’d be more worried about the run defense than the run offense. Minnesota allowed 4.3 yards per attempt last year, leading to a swap of free-agent run-stoppers: Linval Joseph out, Michael Pierce in. The secondary is a bigger concern, actually. The Vikings let corners Xavier Rhodes, Trae Waynes and Mackensie Alexander walk, and replaced them with first-rounder Jeff Gladney and third-rounder Cameron Dantzler; they’ll be counted on early, as will former first-rounder Mike Hughes, who’s played only 20 of 34 Viking games since being drafted due to injury.
It’ll be interesting to see how four men—coach Mike Zimmer, advisor Dom Capers and co-coordinators Adam Zimmer and Andre Patterson—meld running Mike Zimmer’s beloved D. By December, when the Vikings go on the road to play Tom Brady and Drew Brees in a 12-day span, they’d better have it all figured out. I like the Vikings, but this is a team with some defensive questions.
I'd say that's a fair assessment. The Vikings have plenty of top-line talent in Kirk Cousins, Cook, Adam Thielen, Danielle Hunter, Eric Kendricks, Harrison Smith, and Anthony Harris. But there are questions on the O-line and in the secondary, and Diggs and Everson Griffen will also be tough to replace.
In SI's post-draft power rankings from a month ago, the Vikings ranked 13th. However, the six voters had them as high as 7th and as low as 19th. It's hard to know exactly what the Vikings will look like this season, given that they're set to rely on plenty of rookies and other unproven young players.
In King's rankings, the 49ers, Saints, Buccaneers, Seahawks, and Cowboys rank ahead of the Vikings among NFC teams.
As for the rest of the division, the Bears are down at 17th and the Lions are 26th.
Join the conversation at InsideTheVikings by clicking the follow button in the upper right-hand corner of this page (mobile users, tap the bell icon), and follow @WillRagatz on Twitter.
