Minnesota Vikings’ 2014 Midseason Grade

By Kristen Fazio @Kristen_Fazio on October 27, 2014

The Minnesota Vikings have had all sorts of bad luck so far in the 2014 season with a plethora of key injuries and off-field distractions, and as a result they are tied for last in the NFC North with a 3-5 record.

As Mike Zimmer shared, he received a thank you card from an 8-year-old fan with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy who recently visited the team, and in that card he stated that the Vikings had ‘used up all (their) bad luck.’ Things couldn’t have gotten much worse for the Vikings to start the season, but at three wins they are already nearing their win total from last season (5).

No one could have predicted that the team would missing Adrian Peterson, that Matt Cassel would be out for the season and that Kyle Rudolph would again miss an extended period of time with an injury. Not to forget Linval Joseph was hit by a stray bullet and Tom Johnson was arrested. Every team loses players to injury, but the Vikings seemed to be hit by the perfect — or not so perfect — storm of misfortunes and dumb bad luck.

The Vikings began the season on a high note, putting it on St. Louis in a 34-6 win before losing two straight to New England and New Orleans. They bounced back in an offensive explosion against Atlanta and then lost two division games, getting embarrassed by Green Bay and falling flat to Detroit. They rounded out the first half by losing at the last second to Buffalo and sneaking by Tampa Bay in overtime.

The defense has shown a vast improvement under Zimmer, as expected, and ranks 12th in points allowed (21.6), ninth in yards (323.8), fourth against the pass and 17th stopping the run. Harrison Smith is a budding star, likewise for Everson Griffen who is third in the league in sacks (8).  Xavier Rhodes has shown a marketable improvement, as has Sharrif Floyd, and Anthony Barr has shown to be worthy of the No. 9 overall pick. Overall, they have created turnovers, gotten pressure on the quarterback and have been much more sure-tackling than years past. Grade: B+

The offense has struggled mightily and hasn’t put up nearly enough points at 17.4 per game (29th). Surprisingly, without Peterson their rushing game ranks 11th (121.8) and rookie Jerick McKinnon has been a pleasant surprise. Teddy Bridgewater has shown flashes of brilliance and has also made typical rookie mistakes, but even with an offensive line struggling to keep him upright, he has shown signs of potential and promise. The offense had been plagued by injuries, turnovers, penalties and lack of execution. Grade: C-

Zimmer has already left his mark on the team and has players buying into what he wants to do, but they have yet to put it all together. Coming into the season we knew it was going to be a rebuilding year. In the second half, the Vikings must find a way to win at home (1-2) and within the division (0-2) as well as continue to improve individually and as a whole.

Grade: C+