2023 Vikings Season Review

Since we are in the middle of Pro Bowl weekend, figured it would be a good time to review what the 2023 Vikings season was, and what comes next.

My Preseason Expectations
I had expected the Vikings finishing first in the North with a 12-5 record, in front of the 10-7 Packers, 10-7 Lions, and 7-10 Bears. Obviously, this didn't happen. The year finished with the Lions claiming their first NFC North title at 13-4 and the Packers making the playoffs as a wild card at 9-8. The Vikings and Bears both missed the playoffs with 7-10 records. 

What Happened??
Well, Minnesota got off to a rough start at the beginning of the year, losing 4 of their first 5 games. Their only win came against a woeful Carolina Panthers team. Then, they rattled off 5 straight wins. However, the real bump came in Week 8 when the Vikings dismantled the Packers at Lambeau Field, which should have been a joyous occasion for Vikings fans. However, midway through the 4th quarter, Kirk Cousins appeared to have torn his Achilles on the Lambeau Field turf and limped off the field. Rookie QB Jaren Hall would finish the game, which was very much in hand by this point. Up to this point, the Vikings were surging - despite losing star WR Justin Jefferson a couple weeks earlier to a hamstring injury. Things looked very bleak in the week following the win in Green Bay. Jaren Hall was named the starter going into the Week 9 matchup in Atlanta. Hall trotted out onto the field and was leading the team up to the endzone, until a tough hit landed him in concussion protocol at the goal-line. QB Josh Dobbs went out to take his place, who was acquired from Arizona via trade earlier that same week, and finished the opening drive with a score. Dobbs would end up leading Minnesota to a comeback 4th quarter win to capture the hearts of many. Next week at home against New Orleans, Dobbs would have a fantastic first half. Even though the team's second half was lackluster, Minnesota was still able to pull out the win. Hope seemed to abound around the organization, as it seemed the team dodged a bullet by picking up Dobbs. Playoff hopes were set. 
Then the team played the Broncos the following week. The Vikings didn't look the same as the past few weeks, they struggled against a mediocre Broncos team. They would wind up falling by a single point. Next week at home against Chicago, things would get even worse. The Vikings offense would struggle to move the ball and fell against a surging Bears team. The bye week seemed to come at a turning point for the team, who would be the quarterback going forward?
HC Kevin O'Connell decided to stick with Dobbs in the Week 14 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders. This would yield even worse results then the previous couple weeks. Dobbs would not lead the team to a single scoring drive in the first half, and was pulled at halftime in favor of Nick Mullens who had just recently come off IR. Mullens was able to bring the offense down close enough for Greg Joseph to hit a 36 yard field goal that would win the game for Minnesota. The next week in Cincinnati would be a mix of reactions. Former Vikings backup QB Jake Browning would lead the Bengals to a win in overtime over the Vikings. Mullens was able to keep the team in the game, but his two bad turnovers proved costly. Against Detroit the next week was more of the same, close but just not enough. However, the SNF game against Green Bay was a much different story. It seemed the Vikings just didn't show up for the game. Before the game, Jaren Hall emerged from concussion protocol and the Vikings started him. He didn't have nearly as good a start as he did back in Week 9. He mainly just couldn't move the offense. Mullens would take over later in the 2nd half and lead a touchdown drive to make it somewhat respectable. Minnesota would fall in the final game against Detroit by 10. 

What Comes Next?
This is a really interesting question. QB Kirk Cousins has been recovering quite nicely from his achilles surgery, and he will be ready for next season. However, he just came off contract season in which he only played 8 games. Now, granted he was on pace to lead the league in passing yards and passing touchdowns if he had finished the year. 
On another front, star WR Justin Jefferson has been eligible for an extension from his rookie contract starting last offseason. Both parties agreed to postpone talks until the 2023 season concluded. Now, the Vikings will try to sign him again. It was rumored that they offered him the farm last offseason, and I would expect the same again. He is worth it, as he can lift almost any team to victory. The Vikings also have to decide whether to keep aging edge rusher Danielle Hunter around, as he is do for a new contract as well. Hunter had a great season, so it will be a tough decision.

All in all, here is what will be the big decision points for the Vikings:
QB situation: Will the Vikings re-sign an aging Kirk Cousins who is a great QB but just coming off an Achilles injury? Or will they draft a QB in the 1st round this year (either with their 11th pick or via a trade up)? Or both?
This question will lead to the following questions:
If Cousins is signed to even a moderately lucrative contract, does the team have room to sign their other big players such as Jefferson and Hunter? Personally, I think they will be able to sign JJ either way as he is their best players hands down. Hunter might be gone though if Cousins comes back in any fashion. 

Somethings you can guarantee this offseason:
Longtime FS Harrison Smith has played his last games in purple. Minnesota will be incentivized to move on from the future hall of famer this offseason, with Smith being due at least $10 million next season. It remains to be seen if he will retire this offseason or try to find another team to ride out the last year or two of his career.
Two of the three QBs seen after Cousins this season will be gone. This is all but guaranteed. Multiple coaching staff members and the players themselves have admitted that recently acquired QB Josh Dobbs will not be returning with the team next season. Dobbs has already expressed that he hopes that his performance this season will lead to another opportunity with another team next season. Rookie QB Jaren Hall is also likely to be either released or downgraded to the practice squad depending on what the team does at the draft. If Hall is released, he will most likely find his way onto a team's practice squad or signed as a 2nd or 3rd string QB. 
The WR positions behind Jefferson and Addison will be different next season: This was already alluded to last offseason, but I would bet money that bonafide WR KJ Osborn will not return to the Vikings next season. Minnesota let go of hometown guy Adam Thielen last offseason, and Osborn is due a decent sized payday after the season he had. The Vikings just don't have the cap room to keep him around.

Unrelated questions:
What does Minnesota do at running back going forward? The Vikings went through some changes with running back in the last 12 months. The jury is still out on whether these were good changes. The team released former 2nd round pick Dalvin Cook before the season began. This meant that backup RB Alexander Mattison was elevated to the starting role. The first couple of weeks didn't go very well for the Boise State alum, and the Vikings acquired veteran Cam Akers to pair alongside Mattison. However, when Akers tore his Achilles in Week 9, the Vikings had to fall back to their former mid round draft pick Ty Chandler to provide an alternate approach. In my opinion, neither back is really all that good in this offense. Minnesota should look to either sign a free agent or draft another running back.

This is going to be an offseason that could change the trajectory of the team.

​#skol