Last year at this time, the Vikings lost at home against Green Bay in blowout fashion, leaving only tiny playoff chances entering Week 18. This year, however, Kevin O’Connell’s club is 14-2, with a trip to the postseason already confirmed and a chance to clinch the first overall seed in the season finale.
4 Vikings New Year’s Resolutions
All four resolutions from 2024 have come true, so why not try again?
1. Win Multiple Playoff Games
Minnesota’s playoff history since the good old Bud Grant days is quite miserable. The last time the Vikings won two playoff games in one season was in 1987. Thirty-seven years is quite a long time, isn’t it?
Well, it’s time to overcome it. The 2024 Vikings have a winning formula. Both the offensive and the defensive play-callers are among the best in the business, and both sides of the ball are capable of winning games when the other isn’t having a good day.
That’s the main difference to previous teams when either the offense or the defense wasn’t reliable. WIns with an electric offense like against Atlanta or an ugly low-scoring win like in Jacksonville are in this year’s resume.
On Sunday, the Vikings can clinch the division crown and subsequent home games in the postseason and the valuable first-round bye week. If they can do that, the trip to the Super Bowl would only be two wins away.
2. Find a Franchise Running Back
Between 2007 and 2022, the Vikings always had either Adrian Peterson or Dalvin Cook on the roster. That changed in the 2023 offseason when the club parted ways with Cook.
Since then, the franchise has relied on backup rusher Alexander Mattison in the starting role and Aaron Jones on a one-year deal. Mattison didn’t work, but Jones has been a decent back for the Vikings. However, at the age of 30, the front office needs to find a new guy to be the primary ball carrier sooner rather than later.
There are a few free agents available, but Cook and Peterson arrived in the draft, and one of the few draft picks should be used to find a real franchise running back in a strong running back class. The RBs have become more valuable in the perception of teams, as Josh Jacobs, Saquon Barkley, and Derrick Henry have all had success this year after signing in free agency. Christian McCaffrey changed San Francisco’s offense in recent years, too.
The Vikings need to find one of those guys.
3. Keep the Defense Together
Not only is the defense good at stopping opponents, but it’s also fun to watch. The takeaways and following dances are exciting, and the Vikings need to keep that culture together and limit changes to a minimum.
Two crucial players to enter free agency are safety Camryn Bynum and cornerback Byron Murphy. Both have excelled in the 2024 season and become true leaders in the locker room. Bynum is the face of the celebrations and has 89 tackles and three interceptions to show for his Pro Bowl-caliber play.
Murphy is leading the Vikings with six interceptions in his second year in the Twin Cities. Realistically, the two defenders can request average salaries in the range of $15 million on the open market.
In addition to those two, it remains to be seen whether Harrison Smith will return for another attempt to capture a Super Bowl run. He is 35 years old. Cornerbacks Shaq Griffin and Stephon Gilmore are pending free agents. The front seven will pretty much remain.
Another mystery is the future of defensive coordinator Brian Flores, who will likely get some head coach consideration.
4. Extend Kevin O’Connell
Although a playoff run would be sweet, this one is the main item on this list. Extending Kevin O’Connell for many years is how the Vikings can get back to the dance at some point. Only teams with an elite head coach can be competitive every single year, and the Vikings have found one of those.
Players want to play under O’Connell, and his ability to get the best out of them is impressive.
In October, Alec Lewis from The Athletic wrote in one of his articles:
“You know the NFLPA report card?” right tackle Brian O’Neill said in August, referring to the player survey that identified the Vikings as one of the most highly regarded teams in the league in terms of working conditions and environment. “(O’Connell) is the report card. He sets the tone for the entire building.”
O’Connell signed a four-year contract in 2022, and his deal is set to expire following the 2025 season. His contract extension is perhaps the worst-kept secret in the Twin Cities. Similar to Justin Jefferson’s deal in the past offseason, it is almost guaranteed to happen, but folks will remain worried until it is announced.
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt
