NFL Predictions: Minnesota Vikings

TheSportsWatchers want to get you in shape for the upcoming 2010 NFL football season. So in the spirit of NFL training camp, we are doing two-a-days to get you in gear for each and every NFL team.

The Minnesota Vikings have gone through yet another offseason of turmoil, but at the end of the day, they got their guy. Brett Favre is going to be the quarterback for the Vikings this season, and that makes the Vikings one of the NFL’s best teams in 2010.

2009 Vikings Recap

The Vikings had it all during the regular season. For a while there, it looked like they couldn’t be beaten, as the Vikings started off 6-0 and looked like the team to beat in the NFL. Things went sour for a brief moment near the end of the season when the Vikings were handled by the Arizona Cardinals, and wound up dropping back-to-back games against the Carolina Panthers and the Chicago Bears. However, a quick 44-7 thumping of the New York Giants in Week 17 seemed to put things back in proper perspective. The Vikings would then beat the Dallas Cowboys in the division round of the NFL Playoffs before losing to the eventual Super Bowl champs, the New Orleans Saints, in the NFC Championship game.

2010 Vikings Offseason Transactions

The Vikings were not a very active team during the 2010 NFL offseason. The acquisition of CB Lito Sheppard was perhaps their biggest defensive move, and the drafting and signing of Toby Gerhart and Ryan Moats, respectively, were their big additions on offense. They did let RB Chester Taylor go, DE Ray Edwards got signed to a one-year tender thanks to CBA negotiations (or lack thereof). Other than those things, or even with those transactions included, the Vikings biggest move of the offseason happen just recent with #4 coming back for another season (see “Brett Favre Returns to Minnesota”).

2010 Prediction for the Minnesota Vikings

In our view, the return of Brett Favre makes the Vikings the best team in the NFC. With all due respect to the Saints, the Vikings combination of offense, defense and special teams is hard to come by. Not to mention, last year was the team’s first year with Favre, and while I’m not sure how much better the offense can get, Adrian Peterson was anything but stunning, and I do believe that’s something Vikings head coach Brad Childress is hoping to correct during the 2010 NFL Football season. The only thing working against the Vikings is a pretty rough NFL schedule. The Vikings open up with the New Orleans Saints, then go on to play the Cowboys, Packers (twice), Patriots, Giants, Jets, Eagles, and we even think the Redskins are going to be a tough out. Because of the schedule, we think it would be no surprise if the best the Vikings can do in 2010 is muster up an 11-5 record. However, we expect this team to do very well in the playoffs, and at least reach the NFC Championship again.