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2009 Minnesota Vikings NFL Predictions

Written by Jimmy Boyd on August 7, 2009

vikings 8709 The Minnesota Vikings earned their first division title since 2000 and their first playoff berth since 2004 with a 10-6 mark in the 2008 regular season. They made a quick exit in the playoffs, though, despite having home field, losing 14-26 to Donovan McNabb and the Eagles. The next step is to do something in the postseason, but there are no guarantees that the Vikings will be back. The team won in 2008 despite unspectacular quarterback play. It made a hard push at pulling Brett Favre away from retirement this offseason, but ultimately, Favre has decided to remain retired (at least for now). That means Sage Rosenfels or Tarvaris Jackson will have to be the guy. Find out if I have the Vikes repeating as NFC North Division champs in this NFL betting preview. NFL odds makers have listed the Minnesota Vikings at +1800 to win Super Bowl XLIV.

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Offense - Going after Brett Favre tells me that Minnesota is not confident in its chances to win the Super Bowl with either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels. With Favre out of the picture, one of these two will be the guy. It’s time for them to take it upon themselves to prove the organization wrong. Jackson was the starter heading into the 2008 season but was quickly benched in favor of Gus Frerotte when Minnesota got off to a 0-2 start. He did come on late in the season after Frerotte was injured to help lead the Vikes to a division title, but his performance in their playoff loss was less than acceptable (45.4 passer rating). Rosenfels has shown glimpses in his 10 starts over the last two seasons in Houston while throwing for over 3,100 yards and 21 touchdowns. But he has been very turnover prone, getting picked off 22 times, and head coach Brad Childress has little patience for giveaways. Whoever emerges as the starter will have the luxury of handing the ball off to one of the best running backs in the game. Adrian Peterson led the NFL with 1,760 rushing yards and added 10 touchdowns in a Pro Bowl season, but he still has room for improvement. Peterson coughed up the football nine times (most in NFL), and the Vikings lost four of those. He must also show progress as a blocker.

The Vikings were looking to add some big play punch in the receiving corps and they are hoping they accomplished that by drafting Percy Harvin. He’ll team with Bernard Berrian, Sidney Rice, and Bobby Wade to form a formidable unit. Tight end Visanthe Shiancoe, who caught 42 passes for 596 yards and seven scores last season, is also a valuable weapon.

The offensive line is very strong on the left side with Bryant McKinnie at tackle and Steve Hutchinson at guard. With Matt Birk signing a deal with Baltimore, look for John Sullivan to step into the center spot. Anthony Herrera will return at his right guard spot, but the Vikes are unsettled at right tackle and that’s why they drafted Phil Loadholt.

Defense – The Minnesota Vikings needed a pass rush and they got it with the addition of Pro Bowl defensive end Jared Allen last season. Allen did not disappoint with a 14.5-sack campaign. The Vikings will remain one of the NFL’s elite teams against the run thanks to interior run stuffers Kevin and Pat Williams. The linebacker unit should take a step forward with the return of E.J. Henderson, who missed nearly all of 2008 with a foot injury. He will team with Chad Greenway and Ben Leber. Greenway is coming off a strong season on the strong side, leading the Vikes with 150 stops and adding 5.5 sacks.

Safety Darren Sharper is gone so the Vikes will turn to 2008 second-round draft pick Tyrell Johnson to be his replacement. He’ll be joined by Antoine Winfield, who is coming off a Pro Bowl season, and Cedric Griffin, who earned a five-year contract extension. Madieu Williams is expect to play the other safety position.

Prediction: 2nd NFC North – I expect a tight battle with the Bears for first place in the North again this season, but this time I have the Bears prevailing. They got a lot better at the quarterback position with the addition of Pro Bowler Jay Cutler while the duo competing for Minnesota’s starting job are still largely unproven. The Vikes should still have a shot at one of the wild card spots. The Vikings are listed at +160 to win the NFC North.

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