For years the listeners of our Football Machine Vikings podcast have sent in amazing Twitter questions, and far too often we’ve had to leave many of them on the cutting room floor because of time. No longer! Each week we’ll pull some questions that didn’t make the cut and address them in this space.
Who are some of the guys that should sit and who are some that Zim should take a look at that normally wouldn’t play much this game?
— Justin Ekstrom (@thesportscrib21) December 30, 2020
Due to a variety of circumstances, some of the veterans who should sit are already out. Dalvin Cook‘s father tragically passed away earlier in the week, taking Cook away from the team. Kyle Rudolph was placed on the injured reserve. Riley Reiff was placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. Will the Minnesota Vikings ask Eric Kendricks to play off his calf injury? I would hope not. All that said, the defense is so banged up as it is, I wouldn’t sit any of the healthy veterans remaining if they want to avoid another embarrassing performance like they had against the New Orleans Saints.
On offense, the way coaches and players have been talking, there will be an earnest attempt to win this game. Kirk Cousins called it the first game of the 2021 season, Justin Jefferson is shooting for Randy Moss‘s rookie yards record, and the tight ends sans Rudolph want to continue proving their mettle.
There are three moves I would make if I were the head coach.
- I would play the recently-activated Kyle Hinton at left guard for Dakota Dozier. Things unraveled for Dozier late in the year, making his return in 2021 highly unlikely. Give the rookie Hinton a look in Week 17, sort of like they did with Dru Samia and Oli Udoh a year ago in their meaningless game against the Chicago Bears.
- I’d see if K.J. Osborn can do anything at receiver in the Chad Beebe role. He’s yet to get a chance at his natural position this year, and Week 17 feels like a time to try it for 20 or so snaps.
- I’d sit Dan Bailey, who’s dealing with a back injury, and elevate Taylor Bertolet from the practice squad. This is more so for Bailey than Bertolet. Very little good can happen when you throw an injured Bailey out to kick field goals. Better to keep his psyche intact for the offseason and get a look at Bertolet besides.
More yards – AP on ground or JJ through the air?
— Norse Code (@NorseCodeDN) December 30, 2020
It would be a closer comparison if you asked it as Adrian Peterson through the air versus Jefferson on the ground. Peterson has all but lost his role in the last several games to rookie D’Andre Swift, who returned from injury. The Detroit Lions would be foolish to withhold carries from their second-round pick to give to the 35-year-old Peterson, who’s averaged less than five touts per game since Swift returned in Week 14.
Let’s say Peterson gets a little bump just because he’s facing his former team — and it’s potentially his last-ever game — so we’ll give him 10 carries. Let’s also assume the Vikings’ rush defense remains porous and gives up 5.0 yards per carry. That’s 50 yards for Peterson. Considering Jefferson needs 110 yards to match the rookie receiving record, I think the Vikings will feed him the ball. I’ll set the line at Jefferson receiving yards (-55.5) over Peterson rushing yards.
Are the vikings going to be a playoff team next year? Is there a path to this team being really good.
— Ethan (@Tep_4) December 30, 2020
There’s a strong case to think it could happen. Getting four defensive starters back from injury will obviously help, and at worst they’ll only be losing two defensive contributors in Eric Wilson and Anthony Harris — far more manageable than the revamp last offseason. Assuming Gary Kubiak sticks around, the offense will have a chance to have the same Week 1 play-caller since Norv Turner in 2015-16. And special teams, well, it can’t get worse, right?
While the Vikings have performed miserably the last several weeks, analytics suggest they might’ve outperformed their record earlier in the year. When the offense was at its most efficient, turnovers or missed kicks held it back. One-point losses like they had against the Tennessee Titans and Seattle Seahawks are essentially coin flips and will even out over time. Fumble recovery rate (or “fumble luck”) plagued Minnesota all year.
All of these factors lead me to believe the Vikings should be above .500 next year. Taking the next step to 12-plus wins and a playoff bye will depend on so many unknown factors: hitting on draft picks, develop last year’s picks, and staying healthy at key positions. That decides the final record more than anything when you don’t have one of the elite quarterbacks that ensure 10-12 wins each year.
Who has been the best OG from the past 3 years?
Tom Compton, Mike Remmers, Pat Elflein, Josh Kline, Dakota Dozier, Ezra Cleveland, Dru Samia or Brett Jones?— Colin Olson (@Papa_ColinO) December 30, 2020
My eyes! They burn!
It’s a ragtag collection, to say the least. Let’s eliminate the obvious first. Dru Samia was dreadful in his four starts this year. Dakota Dozier has declined rapidly as the year has gone on. Pat Elflein struggled at three positions and didn’t finish his rookie deal.
Compton, Remmers and Kline were all the same: average to below average. Sadly, below-average is better than many of the options they’ve thrown out there in recent years, but still not good.
That leaves Cleveland and Jones. Who do I want over the next five years? Cleveland. Who would I choose today? The man who was always productive on the field and never given a long enough look, the man who performed better than any other Vikings guard in his two-game stint this year, the man who battled back from a knee injury and served as a key mentor to young offensive linemen, the man whose stature merited a documentary film from a Canadian film crew.
I’m speaking, of course, of the legendary Brett Jones.
