Will the Vikings overcome Peterson injury
With Adrian Peterson having his surgery early yesterday, the Vikings will be without their star running back, presumably, until either December or even possibly the rest of the regular season. If this had happened in previous years, one could stick a nail in the Vikings’ proverbial team coffin because they would have had no chance to make the playoffs.
However, as we’ve seen through the first two weeks, the 2016 Minnesota Vikings are not like any of their recent past incarnations. In front of our very eyes, and arguably without many of us noticing, general manager, Rick Spielman, and head coach, Mike Zimmer, have spent the past three off-seasons building and constructing a team loaded with youth, talent and depth, capable of overcoming personnel losses.
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Even though it’s still very early in the season, there are plenty of reasons for Vikings’ fans to not only keep their fingers off the panic button, but to continue believing that their team is still very much equipped to repeat as NFC North champions.
A Complete Defense
The Vikings’ defense has looked like a much improved unit in two of their biggest areas of concern in 2015; run defense and takeaways. Through the first two weeks, the Vikings are sixth in the NFL against the run while boasting a plus-five turnover ratio with six takeaways to one turnover — the lone turnover committed ironically by the defense, when Andrew Sendejo fumbled his recovered fumble last week.
Added to an already strong secondary, and one can make a strong argument that this defense could potentially carry this team far. This defense is deep at all three levels, particularly in the defensive backfield, which has already been hit with early injuries. As long as the Vikings’ defense continues to play well, this team will be in games all year long.
McKinnon/Asiata Combo
Even without Adrian Peterson, the Vikings still have the capability to run the football effectively with Jerick McKinnon and Matt Asiata sharing the load. The duo performed admirably in 2014, when Peterson was lost for the season for all but one game, and helped the Vikings finish 14th in rushing that year. Though they can never replace the threat that Peterson brings, McKinnon and Asiata are more than capable of providing a capable running attack that opponents must be aware of it. Both also provide options in the passing game that Peterson has never really provided.
Stefon Diggs and the receivers
Stefon Diggs has gone from a fifth-round draft surprise last year to the league leader in receiving yards through the first two weeks of the season — all of this coming with Peterson hardly being a factor in either of those games. Tight end, Kyle Rudolph, and receiver Adam Thielen have stepped up as productive options as well in the passing game.
Cordarrelle Patterson is starting to get more touches, and Charles Johnson has shown in the past that he’s capable of making big plays from time-to-time. With 2016 first-round-pick, Laquon Treadwell, waiting in the wings for his opportunity to get on the field, this group is no longer devoid of talent as has typically been the case through much of AP’s tenure.
In years past, Peterson going down would have been a death sentence to any Vikings’ postseason birth. With the accumulation of talent and depth through smart drafting and effective free agent spending over the past four or five years, this team is now built to overcome even his loss.
The emergence of Stefon Diggs gives the Vikings another big-time player that opponents will have to prepare for, similar to how they’ve done for Peterson. With a defense approaching elite status, the offense doesn’t have to be a high-scoring group for the Vikings to compete. This team has the talent and depth to overcome the loss of Peterson and still compete for the division.
Clayton R. Brooks II writes for cover32 and covers the Minnesota Vikings. He can be followed on Twitter @ClaytonRBrooks2. Like and follow vikings32 on Facebook, and Twitter.
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