Minnesota is coming off a successful season where veterans were big contributors. Now, in order to repeat that success and go further in the playoffs, the team will have to rely on young talent.
There were some stats that the Vikings excelled at in 2020. Minnesota struggled at times at cornerback and offensive line, but there were some bright spots as well.
Players like Justin Jefferson, Ifeadi Odenigbo, Jeff Gladney and/or Dru Samia might have to step up and fill statistical voids that were left by older players, who in some cases have different skill sets.
Here are three stats from 2019 that the Vikings will hope stay consistent in 2020:
Tackling
According to Pro Football Focus, Minnesota was first in the NFL for tackling, earning an overall grade of 90.
In 2018, the Vikings tied for first in that category with a score of 91.8. The other team that earned a 91.8 was New England.
But will this stat stay the same? The team still has plenty of good tacklers such as Anthony Harris and Eric Kendricks, but they did lose nickel corner Mackensie Alexander in free agency.
Alexander was the only defensive back to play more than 500 snaps this past season and not miss a tackle, per PFF. Maybe a player like Gladney can step up in the slot and add a similar dimension.
Rushing yards per game
In 2019, ESPN reported that the Vikings averaged 133.3 rushing yards per game, which ranked them No. 6 in the NFL for that category.
Dalvin Cook, Minnesota’s leading rusher in 2019, will refrain from team-related activities until he receives a reasonable deal, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
If Cook is hypothetically not an option, then Alexander Mattison and Mike Boone will have to step up.
Can those two make up the loss in Cook’s production? I’m not so sure. Here’s to hoping Cook and the Vikings figure out a deal.
Interceptions
This is a stat that will be tough to repeat. Interceptions have an element of chance and are at times hard to come by.
Between Xavier Rhodes and Trae Waynes out wide, the Vikings cornerback play wasn’t stellar in 2019. Those two combined for just one interception, but the Vikings defense was able to get 17 in total, much thanks to Anthony Harris, who tallied six, tied for an NFL best.
Other players were able to compensate the mistakes of inconsistent cornerbacks in 2019. With a young cornerback corps, the team will have to make sure that there’s not too much of a drop off in takeaways.
