Over the next several months, the Minnesota Vikings will head into an offseason that will shape the franchise for years to come. They just completed a 13-4 season, won the NFC North, and have a lot of the pieces needed to run it back and contend next season.
But, after Sunday, it’s clear the Vikings aren’t anywhere close to winning the Super Bowl.
The Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles put on an instant classic on Sunday evening. And it featured a lot of aspects the Vikings don’t have.
Two years ago, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers unleashed their fury on a makeshift offensive line and pounded Patrick Mahomes into the turf. The Chiefs responded by being aggressive the past two offseasons, signing Joe Thuney, trading for Orlando Brown, and drafting Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith.
That diligence paid off. Even though Mahomes tweaked his injured ankle, the Chiefs provided elite protection, not allowing a single sack on the game’s biggest stage.
The dominance in the trenches was just as strong on the other sideline. The Eagles churned out long drives to keep the Chiefs offense off the field. Every time Philadelphia faced a short-yardage situation, the offensive line was there to keep the drive alive. Jalen Hurts had several successful quarterback sneaks and followed his line for a game-tying two-point conversion in the fourth quarter.
It was a product of a homegrown offensive line that Philadelphia built over the past decade. They drafted left tackle Jordan Mailata in the seventh round of the 2018 draft and Landon Dickerson in the second round (2021). They found Jason Kelce in the sixth round (2011), Isaac Seumalo in the third (2016), and Lane Johnson in the fourth (2013).
Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill are excellent starting points for the Vikings to follow Kansas City and Philadelphia’s lead. However, the middle of the offensive line leaves a lot to be desired. The guards consist of a pair of second-round picks in Ed Ingram and Ezra Cleveland, but the duo ranked first and third, respectively, in pressures allowed. Center Garrett Bradbury was supposed to stabilize the offensive line as the 19th-overall pick in 2018, but he has struggled mightily in his four seasons in Minnesota.
The other difference can be seen on defense. The Eagles built their defense fast and strong, with multiple ways to attack an opposing offense. With Brandon Graham, Fletcher Cox, Javon Hargrave, and Josh Sweat, Philadelphia had a dominant front that allowed Haason Reddick, T.J. Edwards, and Kyzir White to pick up the pieces. The result? A league-high 70 sacks.
However, it wasn’t the only fearsome aspect of the defense.
The Eagles spent years trying to find speed in the secondary. Top cornerback Darius Slay ran a 4.36 40-yard dash before entering the NFL. Fellow corner James Bradberry ran a 4.5-second 40-yard dash. Safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson ran the 40-yard dash in 4.48 seconds. Reed Blankenship ran it in 4.55 seconds.
The same traits can be seen in the Kansas City defense. The Chiefs started in the trenches with Frank Clark and Chris Jones and added to it by taking George Karlaftis in the first round of the draft. Carlos Dunlap, Nick Bolton, and Willie Gay were movable chess pieces that were unleashed in Steve Spagnolo’s aggressive scheme. A secondary featuring Trent McDuffie (4.44-second 40 time), L’Jarius Sneed (4.37 seconds), Justin Reid (4.40 seconds), and Juan Thornhill (4.42 seconds) can keep up with anyone.
That’s a stark contrast to the Vikings’ defense. Years of poor drafting have left them to overpay for nose tackles in free agency and search for dominant players on the edge. While Za’Darius Smith and Danielle Hunter are tremendous edge rushers at their peak, they have no help, creating a reliance on two players who have a checkered injury history.
In addition to a weak front, the Vikings have almost no speed behind it. Eric Kendricks and Jordan Hicks couldn’t keep up with faster running backs and tight ends last season. Guys like DJ Chark and Isaiah Hodgins left Patrick Peterson, Cameron Dantzler, and Chandon Sullivan in the dust.
Ed Donatell relegated Harrison Smith, who Mike Zimmer deployed as a heat-seeking missile, to play most of his snaps in coverage. And with a 4.58-second 40, Cam Bynum was too slow to be a corner or an impact safety.
The Vikings tried to address this by drafting Lewis Cine (9.92 relative athletic score), Brian Asamoah (8.90 RAS), and Andrew Booth Jr. However, they were unable to make an impact due to injury or Minnesota’s unwillingness to get them on the field.
The skill-position groups also leave a lot to be desired. The Eagles loaded up at the receiver position, drafting DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown. They also used a running back by committee that saw Miles Sanders, Kenneth Gainwell, and Boston Scott run all the way to the Super Bowl.
The Chiefs said goodbye to Tyreek Hill but kept plugging along thanks to Travis Kelce‘s dominance, a group of speedy receivers highlighted by Kadarius Toney, and a backfield that was led by seventh-round pick Isiah Pacheco.
The Vikings believe they have the skill players to match up with these teams. Still, like in most areas, they’re light years behind.
Justin Jefferson is the best receiver in the NFL, but Adam Thielen spent most of his Super Bowl weekend on radio row trying to convince everyone he has a lot of game left. Dalvin Cook reportedly isn’t open to a pay cut and was one of the league’s least efficent running backs.
When looking at all of the things the Vikings lack, it creates a daunting task for the front office to keep up with teams like the Chiefs and Eagles. But the biggest disparity of all might be at quarterback.
Toward the end of the 2010s, the Chiefs and Eagles were perennial playoff teams with a solid quarterback. Alex Smith was a stabilizing force for the Chiefs, and Carson Wentz was playing at an MVP level before tearing his ACL in 2017. Both teams could have happily trudged along with the status quo but decided to take a quarterback anyway.
The Chiefs traded up 17 spots to draft Patrick Mahomes in 2017. The Eagles drafted Hurts in the second round in 2020. Many fans criticized both moves, but they gave teams a head start on the new era of quarterbacks.
Mahomes and Hurts combined for 134 yards and three touchdowns on the ground in the Super Bowl. They each have the arm to make use of their speedy skill players, and they were able to counter when things broke down. It led to both teams going blow-for-blow until the final whistle.
But the biggest difference may happen off the field. With Mahomes under a rookie contract, Kansas City was able to find long-term solutions for their problems instead of a quick fix. Even after Mahomes signed a 10-year, $450 million contract during the 2020 offseason, the deal was long enough to push money down the road and allocate funds to improve the team.
The Eagles were in a different spot with Hurts still under his rookie deal. Philadelphia added to its defense in free agency and accumulated draft capital that was ultimately used to acquire A.J. Brown. Assembling a team of speedy players in their prime allowed the Eagles to take off this season, and it put them on the doorstep of winning their second Super Bowl in five years.
That shines the spotlight on Kirk Cousins. He’s a solid quarterback, but he doesn’t have the traits as Mahomes and Hurts. Cousins rarely uses his athleticism to make plays. Even last season, you could see the velocity decrease on his passes. He led the Vikings to eight fourth-quarter comebacks, but it’s not something they can rely on moving forward.
Even Cousins’ persona of Kirko Chainz suggests that Vikings fans want him to be something he’s not, making him the NFL’s version of a “Quarterback Ken” doll.
With a $31.4 million cap hit in 2022, Cousins cost just over $4 million less than Mahomes and gives the Vikings a fraction of the on-field impact. With his short-term contract, the Vikings are under pressure this offseason. They’ll either have to sign him to a one-year extension to create cap space or have him play out his $36.25 million cap hit for next season.
Both options leave the Vikings hamstrung when it comes to solving their other problems. Meanwhile, the Chiefs can push Mahomes’ $49.2 million cap hit into future years and load up for another Super Bowl run. Even the Eagles, who will have to sign Hurts to an extension, could keep his cap number low, leading to enough flexibility to make a run next season.
Although the temptation will be there to squeeze every drop of life out of a team that made the playoffs last year, the Vikings’ front office would be served well to throw on the big game and see some of the things that got the Chiefs and Eagles to Glendale.
