Vikings

ESPN Lists the Vikings Biggest Regret of 2020

Photo Credit: Jeffrey Becker (USA TODAY Sports)

NFL Power Rankings are a hilarious pile of bullshit. A pointless device that was created not to actually rank the teams but to give television shows something to argue about.

“Can you believe this team was ranked there?” An elderly journalist will scream across a desk and into your television set. “You’re crazy. What would make you think this team is better than that team!” A retired offensive lineman in a ridiculous suit will inevitably respond.

Yet despite their incredibly pointless nature, every single week after a Minnesota performance, my dumbass fires up the laptop and jumps over to ESPN.com to find out where they have my Minnesota Vikings.

Once again it was a week of nonsense. Despite getting a tough primetime victory in a place they rarely succeed and furthering their winning streak, the Vikings remained at No. 19. Not only did they not move up a single slot they somehow found themselves three spots behind the Chicago Bears. Ya know, the disaster of a football team that they just sent to their fourth straight loss. The team that’s going to be discussing whether or not to fire their general manager and head coach during the bye week here.

Yes we’re still 3 spots behind them.

But this week to balance out my reading rage they added an interesting little nugget. Next to each team they also listed the things they believe that team would do over if they could. The team’s top regret of 2020 if you will.

For the Vikings it was the Yannick Ngakoue trade.

Via ESPN’s Courtney Cronin:

The Vikings acquired the 25-year-old defensive end from Jacksonville with the thought that they’d eventually be able to pair him with Danielle Hunter. A neck injury Hunter sustained in camp that eventually required season-ending surgery precluded that from happening, and the Vikings cut bait on Ngakoue after six weeks, taking on $6.8 million in dead cap. What if the Vikings would have used their resources to instead acquire an experienced cornerback to help their young secondary? What if Minnesota signed a veteran interior offensive lineman? Would those moves have panned out better long term than paying for less than two months of work from Ngakoue?

Seems a bit obvious, but let’s give you the case both for and against this choice.

We start with the case for:

It’s an angle on a decision that has swung as quickly as the Vikings season. When they were a disaster at 1-5 walking into a bye week, the Ngakoue thing seemed like more of a pure mistake. Not necessarily a regret but just a boneheaded decision that will cost the team in the future. You guessed wrong on this team’s potential, and it cost us draft capital.

But now four weeks later, as the Vikings try to go on improbable run to bring themselves back into some sort of contention, the idea that that money and or draft capital could’ve been used on something that properly supports this run will likely leave a gaping regret hole in Vikings fans.

We’ve spent the last three weeks bemoaning a 4th down in Seattle and a late-game loss to the Tennessee Titans.  If we end up spending the end of the season bemoaning the fact that we don’t have a legitimate number three wide receiver, or any depth in our secondary or offensive line the trade will easily prove to be our biggest regret.

And now the case against:

Kirk. Cousins. Extension.

It may have happened a whole bunch of months before the Ngakoue trade, and it may not currently be a hot talking point because he finally got the Monday Night Football monkey off his back. But unless Kirk Cousins can prove that he’s better than he’s seemed this year, that extension will not only be the regret of this season but likely the decision that should remain on that list for the next three years.

I can’t be certain how this will all play out. How the decisions of this past year will impact the rest of this Vikings season and the organization’s future. The only thing I can be certain of is regardless of how it plays out, each and every week you’ll find me angrily and regrettably  reading a list I think is worthless and breaking down the little nuggets attached to them.

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