One of the keys to
the NFL post season is securing one of the top two seeds in your conference.
The high seeds guarantee a bye into the divisional round and at least one home
game. These are both huge advantages and it is no coincidence high seeds often end
up in the Super Bowl. Recently the Seahawks earned themselves a key tie breaker
for the NFC's top seed by defeating the Atlanta Falcons 26-24. The Falcons high
flying offense makes them one of the best teams in the NFC. The Falcons also
play in a weak division and are sure to rack up wins against the Panthers,
Saints, and Buccaneers. So, having that tie breaker is huge for Seattle.
The two other teams
that most threaten the Seahawks chances at the NFC's top playoff seed are the
Minnesota Vikings and the Dallas Cowboys. Both teams are a bit of a surprise.
Both of the two team's starting quarterbacks were not slated to start before the
season kicked off. In both cases injury to the starter during the preseason,
Teddy Bridgewater in Minnesota and Tony Romo in Dallas, forced someone else to
take over the quarterback job. This can be a major blow to an NFL team, so many
expected these two teams to struggle. However, both have defied expectations
and started out strong. Both are going to challenge the Seahawks for NFC
dominance. So, let's take a look at the Minnesota Vikings.
The Vikings were a
team expected to do well. They won the NFC North last year and only lost in the
playoffs, to the Seahawks, because of a missed 27 yard field goal.
Coming into 2016 they were looking to build on the success of last year. They
featured a stellar defense, the best runningback in the NFL, Adrian Peterson,
and a young and quickly improving quarterback, Teddy Bridgewater. However
during a noncontact drill in practice Bridgewater seriously injured his knee, enough so that he will be missing the entire 2016 season. This left 36 year old Shaun Hill has the
Vikings starter. In a move of desperation the Vikings traded their 2017 firstround draft pick to the Eagles for Sam Bradford.
Yes, that Sam Bradford.
Even with a new and
not very good starting quarterback under center many still thought the Vikings
had a chance because of the legs of Adrian Peterson. Then in week two disaster
struck again against the Green Bay Packers. Adrian Peterson injured his knee so
badly he required surgery to repair it. That put him on the shelf through at
least week 11, but probably the whole season.
Without their
starting quarterback or starting runningback the Vikings appeared dead for
sure, but the Viking players who decided not to throw in the towel on the 2016
season. Instead they responded by winning their next three games in convincing
fashion.
That is right,
without the starters at the premier offensive positions that Vikings have
managed to go 5-0. The primary reason for their success has been the defense.
The Vikings defense
is conceding only 12.6 points per game. Stated another way, they give up less
than two touchdowns per game. The next closest team is the Patriots at 15.2
points per game. The Vikings defense also excels at not giving up yards. They
are giving up a measly 287.6 yards per game. That puts them second behind the
Seattle Seahawks. The team does has found defensive success by getting to the
quarterback frequently, they have 19 sacks through 5 games. They bring pressure
from all over the field with seven different players recording a sack. Three of
their players are tied for the team lead with four sacks each (Danielle Hunter,
Everson Griffen, and Brian Robinson).
On offense the team
has struggled to gain yards, but thanks to good field position and safe play
they are managing to score points. They are 30th in yards per game, but have
managed to rank 14th in points per game. This is primarily because the great
defense and strong punt returning of Marcus Sherels has given the Vikings the
fourth best starting field position in the league. They start their drives onaverage at the 31 yard line. Additionally, once they get the ball they don’t give it away. Sam Bradford is
protecting the football and has yet to throw an interception or lose a fumble.
Much like recent NFL champs, the Denver Broncos, the team is rely on
conservative ball control offense and a killer defense.
The Vikings hot
start doesn't guarantee season long success. Plenty of teams start out
strong and defy expectations early only
to come crashing back down to reality as the season progresses. However looking
at the Vikings remaining schedule they are in a good position to end up in the
playoffs yet again. The Vikings get to play the Bears and the Lions each two
more times. Going into 2016 the Bears ranked as the 30th worst offensive lineand the Lions the 22nd.
The Vikings front seven should feast on these o-lines. If they don't come out
of those four games with at least three wins it will be shocking.
The Vikings also get
to face the Jaguars and Colts, both of which have proven to be bad to mediocre
teams, with crumby defenses. Minnesota should be able to handle them both. The
Vikings do have to face the Cardinals and the Cowboys, but both of those teams
have to travel to the Twin Cities, an advantage for the home team. I expect a
split out of these games. Playing on the road against a great defense is never
easy so one of these teams will stumble. The hardest game left on the schedule
for the Vikings appears to be on Christmas Eve against the Packers in Green
Bay. Despite Aaron Rodgers recent "struggles" I would expect the
Packers to take care of business and defend their home turf. The Vikings could
easily finish 13-3 or 12-4 thanks to a weak schedule.
Minnesota's hot
start is going to make it hard for the Seahawks to catch the for the number 1
seed in the NFC playoffs bracket. With no head to head matchup between the two
teams the Seahawks are going to have to take care of their own business against
a much harder schedule and hope for a few unlucky losses for the Vikings. It
isn't an impossible task by any means, but it won't be an easy one either.
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