What Would Be the Most “Minnesota Sports” Result for the 2022 Vikings?
Josh Frey
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If you’ve been around the block of Minnesota sports fandom a few times, you know that there seems to be a curse over the state’s teams. Most recently, the Minnesota Timberwolves lost an NBA playoff series to the Memphis Grizzlies, 4-2, despite carrying double-digit fourth quarter leads in three of those losses. With that loss still somewhat fresh in the mind, it got me thinking, what would be the most “Minnesota sports” way for the Vikings season to end? Let’s explore.
Warranted Hype
It’s feasible to suggest that a number of the problems that the Vikings faced last season were a result of their coach simply clinging too hard onto a dying scheme. In an NFL world that ever-favors the air raid attack, Mike Zimmer constantly claimed that the Vikings abandoned the running game too soon following close losses. On top of that, injuries and just god-awful luck besieged the team throughout the year.
After a coaching and GM change, along with some great additions to the roster, it is normal for the fan to be excited for this season. There are so many unknowns, but with those unknowns come great possibilities. Naturally, this means the most “Minnesota sports” way for 2022 to end is with the Vikings attempting to live up to those expectations and falling flat on their collective faces.
Don’t Expect a Tank
No, even if this first season of the Kevin O’Connell experience is a complete failure, and the Vikings end up among the bottom feeders of the NFL, a 3-14 finish is not the most Minnesota sports way for this season to end.
There is one reason for this. As Vikings fandom currently stands, there is a line drawn down the middle. On one side, are the fans that believe the Vikings can win with Kirk Cousins. On the other side, are those who were begging for Minnesota to move on from their QB this offseason.
A tank is the most unlikely result of this season, given the fact that QB Kirk Cousins is talented enough to carry this team at least to near .500. The only way this happens is if Cousins gets hurt, and then the Vikings would earn a top tier draft pick.
The Minnesota sports fan is built to suffer, and all a tank really does is heal wounds. With the projected talent at QB in this upcoming draft, along with an assumed Cousins injury, it’s a no-brainer for the Vikings to use their pick on a QB in this situation. It’s too easy. There needs to be conflict as there has been in every offseason since Cousins got to Minnesota.
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Another Playoff Exit?
Notice how a Super Bowl isn’t even considered an option. No, that a sports team residing in the Land of 10,000 Lakes would just be normal and eventually break through to win a championship. Folks, we live in a state where we fire up the barbecue one weekend and break out the skis in the next. Nothing about this place is normal.
But does this mean that another epic playoff failure is the most “Minnesota sports” way for 2022 to end? I would argue no.
Again, just a glimpse of the playoffs would provide some hope that the O’Connell system is working; something that the Zimmer regime failed to do over its final two seasons. As much as the 2017 NFC Championship loss or the 2019 divisional loss in San Francisco stabbed the hearts of each and every Minnesotan, everyone was left with the solace of “we’ll get ’em next year”.
No, it has to be much worse than that.
Lost
It is my opinion that the horror movie genre is the hardest to get right. So many of them end up the same: viewers scream at their TV for the protagonist not to go into the woods because that’s where the killer is hiding with a knife. Why don’t they just lock the doors? How about try calling the cops? No, we just have to see them get stabbed in the back for the millionth time.
In a similar light, the horrifying prospect of the Vikings repeating an 8-9 season is the most “Minnesota sports’ way for their season to play out. They make the same mistakes. They have the same bad luck. Their kicker misses a game-winning field goal attempt.
Now what do you do with Cousins? You can’t really trade him, but man, it’s hard to keep him. Is Kevin O’Connell a “system coach” of Sean McVay much like Matt Patricia was with Bill Belichick? The thought has to creep in. All this change over the offseason, and for what? They went wandering into the woods only for Aaron Rodgers to dice their new-look defense into a million pieces.
The worst part of it probably isn’t even the fear, though. In fact, many of you reading these words probably expect this exact thing to happen. When it does, you won’t struggle to fall asleep with nightmares. Instead, you will exchange eye rolls and annoyedly exclaim, “we’ve already seen this movie!”
