Minnesota’s schedule came out this month, and it’s gearing up to be a tough one.
The Vikings have the 10th most-difficult schedule, in terms of the teams’ winning percentages from 2019. However, the past success of the Vikings’ opponents do not tell the full story.
For instance, the Buccaneers and Colts are gearing up to be different on offense. There’s also the Texans, a team that was good last year but may have fallen off in the offseason.
So Vikings Wire decided to do a power rankings of the best teams that Minnesota will be facing. I based some of it off past success, but I took it with a grain of salt as well, determining which teams progressed or regressed in the 2020 offseason.
Here are the picks:
1. Packers
Green Bay might not have gotten better through the draft, but the team still went 13-3 in the 2019 regular season.
I could honestly see Rodgers having a year where he’s more motivated than usual, due to his team drafting quarterback Jordan Love. That doesn’t bode well for the Vikings. Also, Minnesota struggled a lot with Green Bay’s defense in 2020.
I think the Packers are still really good, and the team came relatively close to a Super Bowl berth in their head coach’s first year. They could very well be as good or better.
2. Seahawks
Seattle has had the Vikings’ number as of late.
The Seahawks have beaten Minnesota in Kirk Cousins’ first two seasons with the Vikings. The first matchup, Cousins struggled on the road, and the Seahawks defense stifled their opponent.
The second time, Cousins player pretty well, but Seattle rushed for more than 200 yards, and Russell Wilson did enough to help his team win again.
The Seahawks have beaten the Vikings six consecutive times. That’s not because Minnesota is a bad team; it’s because Seattle is a well-coached team that’s really hard to beat when it’s at home. I expect this year to be no different.
3. Buccaneers
Tampa Bay went 7-9 last year, but on paper, I don’t see them missing the playoffs in 2020.
The Buccaneers added quarterback Tom Brady and tight end Rob Gronkowski this offseason. Brady will be throwing to Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, one of the best wide receiver tandems in the league.
Not only that, but the Buccaneers still have a very good pass rush, with Shaquil Barrett leading the way. Barrett had 19.5 sacks for them in 2020, which was the league high and a franchise record.
4. Saints
The Vikings knocked the Saints out of the playoffs last season.
New Orleans was a good team, but Drew Brees suffered an injury in 2019 and now he’s a year older. The team added some offensive line protection in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft this year, taking center Cesar Ruiz. They drafted linebacker Zack Baun, too.
The team also added safety Malcolm Jenkins in free agency. I think New Orleans is good, but I don’t know if it did enough this offseason to really put itself among the top couple of teams the Vikings face.
5. Cowboys
Quarterback Dak Prescott has a new weapon in wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, who Dallas took in the first round.
Dallas franchise tagged Prescott. He will be motivated to play well if he’s looking for a long-term deal from the Cowboys or any other team in the NFL.
Also, now that Ezekiel Elliott has received a contract extension, I doubt the Cowboys will have to deal with a holdout again this offseason.
Dallas lost some close games in 2019, including one to the Vikings. I think a couple of those games could go differently if Prescott’s skill position players around him rise to the occasion.
6. Colts
I think this is probably my most interesting pick on here.
You could argue the Buccaneers are an interesting choice, but I think a lot people are high on that team, considering they were 7-9 in 2019 and added Brady.
I think Indianapolis could be very good. Philip Rivers is 38, but he’s shown throughout his career he can put up big numbers in the passing game, and that he can bounce back from a tough season.
Rivers’ Colts team is better than the Chargers were last season. The Chargers had the fewest turnovers caused in 2019. The Colts on the other hand had the 12th most.
Rivers gets an offensive line that is a lot better, too. In my opinion, San Diego’s Keenan Allen is probably a better receiver than the Colts’ T.Y. Hilton. But other than that, Indianapolis’ offense has the edge, and the Colts are a better team than the Chargers right now.
7. Titans
The Titans defense will still be good, and the team extended quarterback Ryan Tannehill this offseason.
Tennessee traded defensive end Jurrell Casey and cornerback Logan Ryan announced on Instagram he was leaving the team this offseason. The defense might not be as good as it was in 2020, but it will still be solid.
Now that Tannehill can presumably go a full year as the Titans’ starter in 2020, he can prove that he was worth a big contract this offseason. I think him, plus running back Derrick Henry, in addition to a defense that was pretty good in stopping the run in 2019, makes it a tough matchup for any NFL team, especially the Vikings.
8. Bears
The Bears struggled on offense in 2019, but the team added quarterback Nick Foles.
Vikings fans are familiar with Foles being able to work his magic, and Chicago is one season removed from winning the NFC North.
That defense is clearly very good still. Khalil Mack had a down year, but still managed 8.5 sacks. Kyle Fuller is still a good cornerback, too. He had three interceptions in 2019 and 12 pass deflections.
The Bears will be a tough team.
9. Texans
So Houston traded DeAndre Hopkins and a fourth-round pick to Arizona for running back David Johnson, a second-round pick for 2020 and a fourth-round pick for 2021.
That trade likely made them worse, but Deshaun Watson is still one of the better quarterbacks in the league. The defense is below average, but if Johnson, wide receiver Will Fuller V and wide receiver Brandin Cooks stay healthy — and some of those are big ifs — then the Texans will be pretty good.
10. Panthers
The Panthers added quarterback Teddy Bridgewater this offseason.
Bridgewater and Christian McCaffrey make the offense fun to watch, but the team traded away guard Trai Turner. Carolina will be good on the interior of the defensive line with Derrick Brown and Kawann Short, but right now there are just too many holes on the team for them to be successful.
11. Lions
The Lions took cornerback Jeff Okudah, a shutdown corner from Ohio State, in the NFL Draft.
Detroit also drafted D’Andre Swift, a running back who could possibly add a different dimension to the offense. The team is exciting, but I think the defense will hold them back a little bit.
The Lions gave up the second most yards in the NFL last season. They also tied for the fewest interceptions with seven. Okudah is good, but I don’t know if he’s good enough to change that much of defense.
12. Falcons
Atlanta made some moves this offseason, adding running back Todd Gurley and tight end Hayden Hurst. However, a lot has to happen for them to get markedly better than last season.
Quarterback Matt Ryan will somehow have to put up better stats, Gurley has to stay healthy and rookie cornerback A.J. Terrell will have to solidify the secondary. Good luck.
13. Jaguars
Gardner Minshew II had a promising rookie season for Jacksonville in 2019, but the team still went 6-10.
That’s because there aren’t a ton of pieces around him. The Jaguars scored the seventh fewest points in the NFL last season. The team improved the defense through the draft with cornerback CJ Henderson, edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson and others, but I think they’re still a few years away from contending.
