Summer has come to a close and football season is finally back. It’s been a long and trying offseason and a lot has changed for our favorite football team. Guys like Adam Thielen and Dalvin Cook are no longer rocking the purple and gold. A lot of new faces are here ready to make an impact. So, what exactly can we expect this 2023 season for the Minnesota Vikings?
KOC grows in Year 2
The headline is pretty on the nose and a little raunchy. But it rings true. Kevin O’Connell having that “rookie” season under his belts to work out the kinks of being an NFL head coach will be huge for this team. The play calls will be sharper, the chemistry between Kirk Cousins and himself will be better. KOC showed in 2022 why he was a slam dunk hire for the Vikings and that should continue into 2023. Let’s just hope he got rid of the trick play calls on 3rd & 1 this season.
Top 10 Offense? More like Top 5.
The Vikings offense truly went to new heights in 2022. So, how do you improve something that’s already good? Fix ALL the mistakes. The running game was not the same in year’s past, not complimentary enough to the pass. Maybe it was Dalvin Cook, maybe it was the line. The nerds will probably tell you both. What I do know, is that most teams in the NFL succeed with an RBBC approach while paying their running backs less. And that was the move the Vikings shifted towards this season with Alexander Mattison and Ty Chandler.
The pass game was already flawless. The best damn WR in the league and a Top 5 TE will help. But adding receiver Jordan Addison into this offense will only open it up for everyone. I’m looking at you, KJ Osborn! This offense will be dynamite is 2023. The real question is, how good exactly can it be?
Yeah, about the defense…
Last season, the defense was…bad. So many adjectives and metaphors I can use, that shit was painful to watch. Plain and simple. This year the defensive unit has been retooled with more youthful players and a new DC in Brian Flores. The D will make a complete 180 as far as play style goes but will everything else hold up? The secondary is thin and mostly unproved. The pass rush is a massive question mark. There are a lot of things that could break good or bad for this defense in 2023. At least we know that they’ll be aggressive. That means something, right?
This Vikings team has all the tools to make a sleeper run into the postseason. But in the NFL, these next 6 months are a long and treacherous journey. Few teams make it out alive and unscathed from injury. You can never predict who gets hurt and last year the Vikings dodged the injury bug for the most part. This year might not be too kind to them. Especially when you look at the schedule. No bye week until December and the Vikes face the Final Four teams remaining from last season’s playoffs. Oof.
Last season was a memory to hold forever but now it’s time to make new memories. This season is lining up to be incredible for the Vikings. Let’s just hope it holds up with the Vikings partying in Sin City with the Lombardi.
Professional Driver. Lover of all things sports. I once cut meat for Paul Allen and Mark Rosen. I talk on a podcast about men hugging each other aggressively.