The NFL playoffs have been wildly entertaining, and there’s plenty to glean for teams that were left sitting at home, like the Minnesota Vikings. From incredible quarterback play to elite defense to hiring referees who obviously need a new contact lens prescription, Minnesota has a lot of lessons to take away from the Divisional round.
However, there’s one lesson that may hold the key to ending a 65-year Super Bowl drought.
Let’s take a look at the winners from the past weekend.
The Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks, and Los Angeles Rams advanced for a chance to play in the Super Bowl. The Broncos obviously head into their matchup with the Pats with a lot of uncertainty after losing quarterback Bo Nix to a season-ending ankle injury.
Still, all four teams featured some of the most prolific passers this season. Two are this year’s MVP candidates, Drake Maye and Matthew Stafford, and all four threw for at least 3,900 yards. And, interestingly enough — sans Stafford – Minnesota had a reasonable chance at rostering the other three quarterbacks at various points.
But while the Vikings have obvious issues at quarterback to resolve one way or another, it’s no secret that an elite signal-caller helps win games. So, how about the defense of these teams?
Our four horsemen of playoffalypse (trademark pending) finished first, fourth, fifth, and 23rd in defensive DVOA this season. But while the Patriots were a far cry from the top at No. 23, they only allowed an impressive 18.8 points per game. Led by Brian Flores, the Vikings were the third-ranked defense according to DVOA, so maybe Minnesota was already doing all the right things on that side of the ball.
So what’s the big takeaway for Minnesota? It all comes down to walking towards the edge with no one to trust but yourself, and then jumping.
For years, Minnesota has done the smart, sensible things. From running with Kirk Cousins to their strictly needs-based approach in the draft, they’ve done what the team needed to do to be competitive. But what’s been missing in the Kevin O’Connell era has been embracing the big, scary opportunities when they come crashing in.
For example, in back-to-back seasons, Denver did two of the more insane things the league has ever seen. They began by trading a first- and a second-round pick to the New Orleans Saints for the rights to head coach Sean Payton. Then a year later, they cut Russell Wilson, the quarterback they spent five draft picks, including two first-round and two second-round selections, to acquire. As a result, they had $85 million in dead cap hits, the largest in NFL history.
Of course, those two extreme decisions could’ve backfired. Still, O’Connell hasn’t won a playoff game, so are the Vikings really any worse off than Denver would have been?
Then look at the Patriots, who fired coach Jerod Mayo after just one season and promptly went out and spent more than any other team in the league before new head man Mike Vrabel had even learned the drive to work. It was another incredibly bold decision that has already paid dividends for New England, which figures to have the easiest path to the final game with the Nix injury.
Sure, Minnesota spent the second-most dollars in free agency this year. But they played it safe, opting for high-floor, low-ceiling veterans like Javon Hargrave, Jonathan Allen, and Ryan Kelly. That’s not to say they were poor decisions, but it isn’t ideal to spend more than darn near everyone and not add a franchise-altering player.
Seattle and Los Angeles haven’t shied away from taking the big risks either. The Rams made Sean McVay the youngest head coach ever at 30, and traded two first-round picks in back-to-back years to land generational talents in Stafford and Jalen Ramsey. As a result, McVay and Stafford have already combined for more playoff wins than the Vikings have over the past 28 years combined.
Meanwhile, Seattle might have had the best offseason out of any team, and they had no reason to change much. People expected the Seahawks to run things back with Geno Smith and Tyler Lockett, among others. Instead, they decided to get uncomfortable and now have a chance at a Lombardi Trophy.
The big lesson here for Minnesota is to take a chance once in a while. The franchise’s focus has long been to be smart and field a team that always has at least a small chance of squeaking into the playoffs. Still, it’s very rare to see a ground-breaking trade or signing, and they’ll never tear it down to start from scratch.
Every time Minnesota steps up to the plate, they’re looking to hit ground balls and get on base. It’s time to swing for the fences or strike out trying. They owe it to the fans and themselves.
