The 2018 season for the Vikings seemed like a dream. Todd Gurley led the charge with Ryan Tannehill under center and earned the Vikings' first playoff appearance under Head Coach Big Deezal. That dream was cut short during the Wildcard round as the Vikings were eliminated on a failed 2-pt conversion as time expired by SWA rival Ben Dover, (Bucs).
Going into offseason it was clear what the Vikings needed: a quarterback. One problem. There were only two standout QBs in the draft class, Lucas Halterman (#1) and Coco Vick (#2). The Vikings had picks #10 and #15. At #10 they picked the strong safety stud Adrian Williamson, ranked the #1 safety in the draft. While it was an amazing pickup, the hole at strong safety was very minor and the Vikings desperately needed a franchise QB. Late in the college football season Michigan starter Brett Davis went out injured and backup Coffee Black took over. Black was not known for his arm strength and showed minimal awareness to situations. So the scouts were surprised when Black rallied the team together to overtake division rival Wisconsin in the Big 10 Championship game. Black continued to lead the team through the first round of the College Playoffs with a dominating victory over proven powerhouse Alabama. Though they didn't win the CFB Championship, it impressed Minnesota scouts enough to make the call. At the #15 pick, the Minnesota Vikings drafted Coffee Black out of Michigan.
The start of the season was rough for the Vikings. They fell twice in the first 3 weeks, to division rivals Packers and Lions. It was a slow start for everyone. Gurley, who averaged 180 yards per game his last 7 games of the previous season, only broke 100 yards 4 times in the first 8 games. Black struggled to find a rhythm, throwing 7 interceptions in his first 8 games.
The defense was off to a rough start as well. After the loss of Khalil Mack, Danielle Hunter had some big shoes to fill, and the defensive backs were giving up big plays trying to pad their personal stats with picks. "Enough is enough," the Cali Viking Richard Swanger III told the team. "We're not here for individual glory. Stop giving up the big plays." After hearing this, Vikings DC Philly Deese changed up the scheme and drilled conservative ball play, tight coverage, and limiting blitzes to 4 players max.
"Confidence was low. It was week 4 and we felt like the season was already over for us. Then Hunter happened," Dick told us. Hunter led the team to a 34-21 victory over the Falcons with 5 sacks and a forced fumble. After that game the Vikings defense only allowed one opponent to break 20 points on them.
Then the offense woke up. The Vikings' offensive line, led by the youthful duo of Bruce Mobley and Aaron Ives, stepped up and quickly became the top performing offensive line in the league. The 5 starters only allowed 5 sacks on the season, and all 5 made Pro Bowl. "Last year we had to fight. The line was young. 4 of the five starters were raw rookies," Gurley told us. "This year was a breeze once we finished up our scheme. I've never had such easy runs. It's hard to believe that I'm going to be with this line for at least another 5 years. I feel sorry for the NFC."
The Vikings finished the regular season 14-2, finishing with a 13-game winning streak. The defense finished #1 overall in yardage allowed (a Scrubs record), #1 in points allowed, and 5th in sacks. The offense finished 1st in redzone offense.
Gurley, having another breakout year, finished 2nd in rushing yards and first in rushing TDs, taking home MVP, NFC Offensive Player of the Year, NFC Best RB, and a Pro Bowl selection. Danielle Hunter finished the season with 19 sacks, a career high, and won NFC Defensive Player of the Year, and Pro Bowl selection. The entire Vikings' Offensive line made Pro Bowl, a first for 4 of them. This makes Bruce Mobley's 2nd Pro Bowl appearance. Derrick Rayford, dubbed the 'Mountain in Minnesota', received a Pro Bowl selection, despite missing half the season to injury. Coffee Black, the reach of the year, will be attending the Pro Bowl as well. Black finished the season with the league's 5th highest QBR, showing that the 22-year-old Michigan backup is quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with.
The Vikings have received a 1st-round bye and is predicted to be playing the winner of the Cardinals/Lions game. Can Todd Gurley and Coffee Black lead their team to their first ever Super Bowl win? Or will the high-powered competition of the NFC be too much for them? The one thing I can assure you is FAT FUCKING RANDY MADE PRO BOWL AND GOT A DEV BUMP. LEAGUE. ON. NOTICE.
As Week 17 begins, the playoff picture is already set in stone and the matchups have been made. Let's take a look how each conference lines up and break down each of the games.
AFC PICTURE
First-round byes are always ideal and crucial for the top teams to stay on top. The Browns, along with last year's league champions, the Raiders, will enjoy a week of rest and recuperation before taking on the wildcard winners.
Wildcard Matchups
The 3rd-seed Jaguars will take on the 6th-seed Ravens. The Jags played the Ravens at home Week 1 and lost 30-40. The Ravens' offense, led by Jimmy Garoppolo, shredded the Jags' secondary and manhandled their defensive line, producing a total of 443 yards. The Jags have improved much since Week 1 though and we should expect to see a every even match offensively. Less than 100 offensive yards separate the two teams on the season, with the Ravens favoring the air raid and the Jags favoring the rushing attack. Both teams will need to dominate defensively to pull out a victory. The Ravens finished ranked 1st in defending the run, while the Jags finished in the middle of the pack defending the pass. Expected result: Ravens 27 - Jaguars 20
The 4th-seed Dolphins will square off against the 5th-seed Texans. The Texans have dominated on the ground as Todd Gurley has kept them 2nd overall in the rushing attack, however, the Dolphins ranked 5th in stopping the run, so the O-line will have their work cut out for them. On the other side of the coin, the Dolphins will likely finish 3rd in passing offense. The Texans, under the helm of newly hired Coach Mah’Betch, have struggled recently, losing 3 of the last five games, and struggled to pull off a victory against the 1-14 Colts. If the Texans expect to survive the first round they’ll need to find any answer against the deep pass. Expected result: Dolphins 31 – Texans 17
NFC PICTURE
The NFC first-round byes go to the 13-2 Packers, last year’s league runner up, and the 13-2 Seahawks. The Seahawks came off a dominating victory against the Colts, and are hoping to carry that momentum into their Week 17 matchup and beyond.
Wildcard Matchups
The 3rd-seed Eagles meet the 6th-seed Vikings. The two teams met during Week 11, where the Vikings completely dominated the Eagles on both sides of the ball. Eagles finished that game with less than 250 total yards on offense, and gave up 425 yards on defense. If the Eagles expect to squeeze by, they’ll need the NFC’s 2nd best QB, Brody Hunter, to come in clutch. In their previous outing, Brody finished 9/20, throwing 3 interceptions and 2 touchdowns. Don’t let that one poor performance fool you. The Eagles are currently ranked #1 in offense on the season and 4th in points-per-game. If Brody comes out calm and composed, the Vikings will have a very difficult time staying in the game. Expected result: Eagles 38 – Vikings 24
The 4th-seed Falcons look to knock off the 5th-seed 49ers. The outcome of this game will come down to speed and security. Both teams are evenly matched, each having multiple weapons at their disposal. On the Falcons offense, they have backfield speedster Tevin Coleman, who is averaging 6.6 yards-per-carry, the 6’5” Tower of Clutch that is Mike Evans, and Tyler Lockett, who has been brilliant in open-field play. Defensively they come prepared with Kemal Ishmael, who has been a nightmare for opposing QBs; bringing down 8 INTs on the year, and the DT team of Mario McKnight and Kazeem Roach, who have a combined total of 25 sacks on the year. The Niners come out with future Hall-of-Famer Drew Brees and the deceptive speed of WR Brandin Cooks. While the Niners don’t have the sacking capabilities of the Falcons, the team of Luke Kuechly and Jadeveon Clowney complete shuts down the middle of the field with their combined totals of over 90 tackles and 11 interceptions. Turnovers will be key in this matchup. Expected result: Falcons 24 – 49ers 23