Adrian Peterson returned to form last season, single-handedly carrying the Vikings to a playoff spot in his chase of Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record. All Day was just ludicrous the second half of the season, going for 150+ in 6 of the final 8 games. Aside from Peterson, the Vikings didn’t have much of an offense, with second-year QB Christian Ponder taking the reigns of the offense. The Vikings were 31st in passing offense and traded WR Percy Harvin to Seattle. They added Greg Jennings in free agency and Cordarrelle Patterson in the draft, but neither of them possess the same game-breaking ability as Harvin on the outside.
The Vikings defense remains a liability, particularly in the secondary. They added cornerback Xavier Rhodes in the first round of the draft after selecting safety Harrison Smith in the first round last year. Up front, Jared Allen remains one of the best pass rushers in the league, but the talent beside him is quickly dwindling. Chad Greenway and remains one of the better 4-3 linebackers in the league, and has tallied 80+ solo tackles each of the last three seasons.
Playmaker Percy Harvin is gone, but the additions of Greg Jennings and Cordarrelle Patterson gives Christian Ponder plenty of playmakers any time he doesn’t hand the ball off to Adrian Peterson. In reality, this team goes as far as Adrian Peterson takes them.
Minnesota will win some games on the back of Adrian Peterson, but defenses will be keying on him and Christian Ponder isn’t quite to the point where he can carry this team to the playoffs and repeat last season’s success. 7-9
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