In 2016, the secret is out. The NFL is a passing league. It has been for roughly a decade, and even the most casual fan knows having an elite quarterback usually promises some kind of success. There have only been four Super Bowl games that didn’t feature either Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, or Ben Roethlisberger since the turn of the millennium.
For most of this off-season, Teddy Bridgewater and the Minnesota Vikings were considered by many to be serious contenders. They won the NFC North in 2015 and had a very successful off-season. Unfortunately, Bridgewater suffered a devastating leg injury in practice and will miss the entire 2016 season. This has led many experts to believe the Minnesota Vikings’ 2016 campaign is over before it even started.
The Minnesota Vikings Will Be Fine Without Teddy Bridgewater
The Defense
The Minnesota Vikings defense is just ridiculous. Led by the likes of Harrison Smith and Anthony Barr, it’s hard to find a weakness on this defense. Players like Linval Joseph, Brian Robison, Sharrif Floyd, and Everson Griffen might not be household names, but they’re all studs on the defensive line. The Vikings have one of the better defenses in the league, and if Barr can just make the leap to elite defender, they could be a force in the NFC.
The Offense
While it’s highly unlikely, almost impossible, that Minnesota’s quarterback will be as good as Bridgewater, he also won’t have a tough job. Whoever gets under center for the Vikings will play with Adrian Peterson, the NFL’s leading rusher last year, as well as several young talented receivers. He’ll be throwing passes to the likes of Stefon Diggs, Charles Johnson, and first-round pick, Laquon Treadwell. For a veteran quarterback looking for a career renaissance, there are certainly less desirable places to play.
The “Mark Sanchez” of It All
Back in 2009, a young man by the name of Mark Sanchez was drafted by the New York Jets, and though it’s laughable here in 2016, many believed he was the future of the franchise. Before he ate a hot dog on the Raiders sideline, before people started chanting for Tim Tebow, and before a certain fumble, Mark Sanchez was referred to as the “Sanchize” by the NFL media.
And it’s easy to see why. While Sanchez didn’t have game-breaking statistics, he helped lead the team to consecutive AFC Championship games. He was able to manage the offense, helping the run game thrive and giving the defense some much-deserved rest. He was never going to throw for 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns, but he did what he could to help the Jets win.
Before the comment section becomes a bloodbath, nobody is comparing Mark Sanchez to Teddy Bridgewater, at least not completely. Nobody is saying that Bridgewater is going to become a punchline like Sanchez is, but facts are facts. Through the first two years of his career, Sanchez threw for 5,735 yards, 29 touchdowns, and 33 interceptions. Through the first two years of Bridgewater’s career, he’s thrown for 6,150 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 21 interceptions.
Both quarterbacks suffered and benefited from playing with very good run games and defenses. While the quarterbacks weren’t asked to do much and still enjoyed the taste of victory often, they also weren’t able to enjoy the same statistical success as many other young quarterbacks. While quarterbacks like Derek Carr and Blake Bortles don’t have a winning record as a starter in the NFL like Bridgewater does, their statistics are on a completely different level. Which leads to our next point.
The 2015 Denver Broncos
It’s strange to go from talking about Mark Sanchez and Teddy Bridgewater to discussing Peyton Manning, but that’s something the Vikings should do. Last year, Peyton Manning was not Peyton Manning. Instead of being the brilliant passer that has been the face of the NFL for the better part of twenty years, Manning was a liability for the Broncos.
Two years after destroying the NFL’s passing touchdown record, Peyton Manning was arguably one of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL. His “laser rocket arm” couldn’t complete passes with the accuracy or velocity that it used to, and he threw nearly twice as many interceptions as touchdowns. Despite that, the 2015 Denver Broncos won the Super Bowl.
They did so by having the very best defense in the National Football League and an adequate run game. This is a formula that the Minnesota Vikings can and should follow. Despite being 31 years old, Adrian Peterson is still one of the very best in the league. While his time in the NFL may be running out, the Vikings will need to get one last good year out of Peterson if they want to remain competitive this season. And as for the defense, they’re talented enough.
The Biggest Obstacle
The biggest obstacle for the Minnesota Vikings isn’t the loss of Bridgewater, but the health of the Green Bay Packers. The Vikings were able to edge out the Packers last season, but there’s no question that they weren’t at full strength. The team didn’t have the services of Jordy Nelson all year and Eddie Lacy‘s weight was a big problem. Throw in the emergence of young receiver Jeff Janis, and the Packers are stacked. While Janis is still injured, Rodgers will have Nelson, Randall Cobb, Davante Adams, and Jared Abbrederis to throw the ball to. Teddy Bridgewater was never going to have anything to do with slowing that insane offense down.
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