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Vikings face adversity in second half



Sam Bradford goes down. Dalvin Cook goes down.

Ladies and gentlemen, heading into week nine the Minnesota Vikings are 6-2 and hold first place in the NFC North. Of course, there have been some things to help their cause, with the biggest coming from an Anthony Barr hit on future Hall-of-Famer Aaron Rodgers.

The Vikings defense is one of the most feared in the league, and Minnesota-native Adam Thielen continues to show his case for being an elite offensive weapon in the NFL. Case Keenum has done a good enough job to keep the Vikings afloat, but tougher competition looms.
Looking at a glance, one would say the Vikings are playing great football as they are riding a four-game winning streak. That winning streak included a win against an Aaron Rodgers-less Green Bay Packers, a narrow win against a young Chicago Bears team, a victory against an unidentifiable Baltimore Ravens squad and a messy win in London against the winless Cleveland Browns. After the bye week in week nine, the Vikings will play their next four of five games on the road. They travel to play the competitive Washington Redskins, followed by a trip back to U.S. Bank Stadium to face a hot Los Angeles Rams team. Their next three will be on the road against the Detroit Lions, Atlanta Falcons, and Carolina Panthers. This stretch alone could determine how the rest of the year pans out, as the Vikings have only faced two teams over .500 all season and have gone 1-1 in those games (defeated the Saints at home, lost at Pittsburgh). They finish out the year home against the Cincinnati Bengals, on the road against Green Bay and at home against Detroit.

When it comes to defense, the Vikings have been a part of the best of the best. The Vikings rank third in the NFL in total defense, only trailing Carolina and the Denver Broncos. When it comes to offense, however, this team has been hit-or-miss. They are averaging around 20 points per game, but if the running game can’t get going then it spells disaster. Jerick McKinnon and Latavius Murray have done a solid job at replacing Cook’s productivity. As stated before, Keenum has been able to steer the broken-down ship. As time moves on, it will be interesting to see what the Vikings do with Teddy Bridgewater. If Keenum continues to rack up wins, it would not make sense for the organization to throw Bridgewater into the fire, especially if the quarterback is not 100 percent ready to come back. If he is ready, it would be wise to work him into games, so Bridgewater at least has a taste of what the NFL is like after a year-and-a-half absence.


As Vikings fans have known for quite some time, the path to success has been marred by ugly memories. This season has been unpredictable, and if anything positive for Minnesota, the rest of the NFL has shaped up to be something of the same story. 
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