Minnesota Vikings' 2024 season: Your guide to faking it
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Vikings fans' hopes live and die with journeyman Sam Darnold. Photo: Stephen Maturen/Getty Images
It's been a decade since expectations for the Vikings have been this low.
State of play: Nearly all of the pundits and Vegas oddsmakers believe the Vikes will finish last in the NFC North for the first time since 2013.
How did Minnesota find itself in this position just 10 months after the team looked like a contender?
- If you checked out of football news for the past seven months, this is your guide to faking it.
Catch up fast: Minnesota went 7-10 last year, falling apart in the second half of the season after quarterback Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles tendon.
Under center: Cousins left Minnesota for a huge payday from Atlanta in March.
- They replaced him with journeyman Sam Darnold and drafted Michigan's J.J. McCarthy in the first round to be their franchise quarterback.
The curse: Being a Vikings fan is hell. McCarthy tore his meniscus in the first preseason game.
- He joins Daunte Culpepper, Teddy Bridgewater, Sam Bradford and Cousins as Minnesota QBs to suffer major injuries in the past 20 years.
What else is new: General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah revamped the defense, letting another franchise cornerstone, Danielle Hunter, leave.
- He brought in pass rushers Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel, plus linebacker Blake Cashman, who is from Eden Prairie.
Yes, but: They're woefully short of talent at defensive tackle and cornerback.
- Rookie corner Khyree Jackson died in a car crash in July and promising young second-year defensive back Mekhi Blackmon tore his ACL a few weeks later.
Reality check: The lovely thing about the NFL is that sometimes the team nobody expects to win makes a surprise run, and the Vikings have as good a chance as any at being that team this year.
- Darnold has never been given a good chance to succeed, playing on teams with subpar coaches and supporting casts in Carolina and New York.
- He will be throwing to the world's best wide receiver, Justin Jefferson, plus another good one in Jordan Addison. The addition of former Packers running back Aaron Jones will also help relieve pressure on Darnold.
- A bulked-up pass rush, including promising rookie Dallas Turner, could cover up other defensive shortcomings.
The bottom line: Even if this season goes south, Vikings fans should remember that McCarthy will be back next year and the team is projected to have $82 million in salary cap space to sign free agents.