The Minnesota Vikings will be flying high on the offensive side of the ball, if the latest projection from NFL.com’s Cynthia Frelund holds true in 2022.
Through the scope of the projected win share, Frelund compiled a list of the top-10 offensive teams in the upcoming season. The win share model measures teams by the ability of the offense or defense to earn or prevent first downs or points. It takes into account the entire unit as a whole, including every player and position group.
When using this model, Frelund settled in on the Vikings having the No. 10-ranked offense in the league.
It’s a projection that should be expected considering all of the work the team did in the offseason to improve from simply being a good offense to an elite one.
They signed Jesse Davis and Chris Reed in free agency to help boost the offensive guard position, which has been one of the biggest weaknesses on the offensive side of the ball, along with center. The team also spent a second-round draft pick on rookie offensive guard Ed Ingram to basically double down on their efforts to improve up front.
There’s also the fact that the Vikings are just loaded at the skilled positions. Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen have the potential to be one of the best receiving tandems in the league, and running back Dalvin Cook is clearly elite in every sense of the word.
Oh, and tight end Irv Smith Jr. will be back on the field as well this season. He was poised for a breakout season last year before going down with a knee injury.
But the biggest change for the Vikings is the hiring of former Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell as the new head coach. When looking at the things he was able to do with Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp in Los Angeles, it’s hard not to get excited about what he could potentially do with Kirk Cousins and Jefferson in Minnesota.
The sky is literally the limit for these Vikings, and under O’Connell, they’ll do whatever it takes to navigate every inch of it.
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