The Vikings will be an interesting team to watch in 2020.
While the team will return Kirk Cousins, Adam Thielen, Harrison Smith, Anthony Harris, Danielle Hunter and (hopefully) Dalvin Cook, the team will be without a good chunk of what made its defense so strong over the last half-decade or so.
It seems like the Vikings have a high ceiling, but what about their floor?
Ben Linsey over at Pro Football Focus put together the best and worse-case scenario for each team in the NFL.
For the Vikings, Linsey’s worst-case scenario has the Vikings finishing 6-10 overall.
How do the Vikings get there?
This is what Linsey wrote:
All the starters lost this offseason can’t be replaced by rookies and options that were lower on the depth chart a season ago. The three new starters at cornerback are picked on by opposing offenses, and Ifeadi Odenigbo (74.4 overall grade in 2019) can’t give the same kind of performance opposite Danielle Hunter as Everson Griffen (77.6 overall grade in 2019). Meanwhile, the offense misses Stefon Diggs, who is still one of the best route-runners in the league. The offensive line remains a problem, as well. Garrett Bradbury and whoever the Vikings decide to roll with at the guard position struggle to hold up against the Kenny Clarks and Akiem Hickses of the world.
This certainly seems like a possibility, especially given what will be a shortened in-person offseason and a two-game preseason for a team with so many new faces.
For what it’s worth, Linsey has the Vikings’ best-case scenario at 11-5.
You can read why here.