Minnesota Vikings News and Links, 1 April 2022

Is there a joke or a prank I could pull on my fellow Vikings fans today? Hmmm.

The Vikings will make the playoffs in 2022 and actually be competitive in the game!

That is pretty good and could be quite the joke this team pulls on the fans once again.

Want some evidence? Glad you asked.

https://www.footballoutsiders.com/stat-analysis/2022/kirk-cousins-vikings-and-dynasties-mediocrity

We are gathered here to discover the most average era of football in NFL history. The teams that could not escape the gravitational pull of .500 football.

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But if you’re stuck in 8-9 or 9-8 purgatory? Sure, maybe you’ll pick up a few seventh seeds here and there; everyone makes the playoffs in the modern NFL.

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And speaking of franchises who spend a lot of time on this list and also can blame Kirk Cousins, it’s the Minnesota Vikings! The Vikings’ current run of blandness starts in 2014 and matches the Mike Zimmer era perfectly. They’re hurt a little by some moderate success—they’re 72-56-1 over the past eight years, making them more 9-7 than 8-7. They even won a couple of playoff games over the Saints! But while you haven’t been able to overlook Minnesota in recent years, you also haven’t really had to look to hard at them, as they keep bringing back an aging roster year after unsuccessful year. They’re second only to Washington in years on this list despite only being founded in 1961; they have picked up 13 years in the 21st century alone. Enjoy that $35-million Kirk Cousins extension, boys.

Wow! This story encapsulates the Vikings to a tee.

Owners, coaches, players, and many fans convince themselves every offseason that things will be different. We were one or two plays away in several close losses last season that will swing our way this year. Never mind the games we won in that fashion because that does not count.

Same things were said last offseason as this year. The team lost a few very close games in 2020 and if only for a few plays coulda been a contenda!

Media Selection for the Day

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