ClutchPoints
The Minnesota Vikings enjoyed a brilliant 2024 season when little was expected from them. Instead of battling the Chicago Bears for third place in the NFC North, the Vikings engaged the Detroit Lions for division superiority.
The Vikings opened the season with a 5-game winning streak that included wins against three of the most respected teams in the league, and they followed their hot start with a 9-game winning streak that gave them the opportunity to play for the division title and the NFC’s top seed in the final regular-season game of the season.
If the Vikings had gone into Detroit and beaten the Lions in Week 18, the Vikings would have gained a first-round bye and won the NFC North title. While the Lions were favored, the home team had suffered a myriad of injuries on defense and there was every reason to believe the Vikings would be able to move the ball and perhaps dictate the pace of the game. They had quarterback Sam Darnold along with superstar receiver Justin Jefferson and speedy wideout Jordan Addison, and the Lions would be forced to scramble.
However, the undermanned Lions dominated the game and beat the Vikings thoroughly. The high-powered Minnesota offense stalled when it mattered most, and the Vikings offensive line was ineffective. Darnold was on the run throughout the game, and he failed to hit open receivers when he had that opportunity.
It was a 31-9 destruction by the Lions and the Vikings were shocked by the defeat. A week later, the Vikings went to Los Angeles for the Wild Card game against the Rams. It was one thing to lose to the top-seeded Lions, but falling apart against the Rams was a shocking way for their season to come to an end.
The Vikings were quite efficient on offense throughout the season. In addition to their skill-position players, the offensive line appeared to be quite sufficient.
However, a closer examination revealed that the Vikings had a pair of excellent offensive tackles in Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill. Darrisaw was sidelined halfway through the season by injury and that clearly hurt the team. However, the interior part of the offensive line was the biggest issue.
Center Garrett Bradbury has been a question mark for several seasons. He had been an up-and-down performer throughout his tenure with the Vikings. Bradbury was fairly steady through the majority of the season, but he struggled when facing top interior defensive linemen.
Offensive guards Dalton Risner and Blake Brandel became liabilities during the season’s most important games. The Vikings know they can’t allow defensive players to come up the middle and harass their quarterback –whether it’s Darnold or J.J. McCarthy next season.
They have to get stronger and more assertive in this area. Either Risner or Brandel has to go — and possibly both.
One of the primary reasons the Vikings had success last season was...
