Ranking top 5 defenses on Vikings 2022 regular season schedule
The Minnesota Vikings could legitimately have one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL with coach Kevin O’Connell taking the reins.
And yet, there are some formidable defenses on their schedule that could give them problems in 2022. Along with the NFC North division, the Vikings venture out into the AFC East, NFC East and NFC South this coming season.
The hope is that their defense will be good enough to hold its own, but if it’s anything like last season, they’re going to need a lot of help from their offense to keep the ship from sinking.
This Vikings team can’t afford to just be good offensively. No, they need to be great. But they’ll face some significant challenges along the way.
Here are the top-five defensive teams on their regular season schedule.
5. New England Patriots (Week 12, Nov. 24)
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Some Patriots fans jumped ship the moment Tom Brady left town to play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Whatever happened to “in Bill [Belichick] we trust?”
Meanwhile, the loyal followers are probably wondering if it really is Belichick they should be trusting.
There have been some questionable decisions made on the player personnel side of things for the team. Just think, this was a team that had Stephon Gilmore and J.C. Jackson as their corners two years ago. Now, they don’t have either one of those players.
But I’m still not ready to start doubting one of the greatest defensive minds the sport has ever seen. Here’s to hoping Kirk Cousins has his head on a swivel because Matthew Judon and Josh Uche will be coming.
4. Philadelphia Eagles (Week 2, Sept. 19)
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It’s no doubt the Eagles were one of the biggest winners in the 2022 NFL draft.
Georgia’s standout defensive players Jordan Davis and Nakobe Dean joining an Eagles defensive front that already has Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham, Derek Barnett and Josh Sweat doesn’t even seem fair. That unit is going to put a lot of stress on opposing offenses.
This is the reason why the Vikings were so adamant about fixing things on their offensive front. Any leaks up front against this Eagles team will get exploited fast and in a hurry. All of the receiving weapons in the world won’t mean a difference if Cousins is doing snow angels in the dirt.
3. Green Bay Packers (Week 1, Sept. 11)
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Well, here’s a familiar foe for the Vikings.
We’re going to learn a lot about this Vikings team right out of the gates with the Packers coming to U.S. Bank Stadium in Week 1.
On one side of the ball, they’ll have to deal with Aaron Rodgers and his new offensive weapons, and on the other side, it’ll be Jaire Alexander and a Packers defense that’s criminally underrated.
The unit ranked top-10 in points and yards allowed last season, and they’re returning mostly intact with the addition of rookie Devonte Watt to try and ruin Cousins’ day, along with Rashan Gary and Preston Smith.
2. New Orleans Saints (Week 4, Oct. 2)
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The Saints have gone through dramatic changes on the offensive side of the ball since Drew Brees retired, but make no mistake, they still have a championship-caliber defense.
They were ranked as the sixth-best defense in total yards and points in 2021. Oh, and they still have the Boogeyman, Cameron Jordan, coming off the edge.
The Vikings could be put into a situation where they have to score a lot of points to keep pace with a much-improved Saints offense. Regardless of your opinions on Jameis Winston at quarterback, you have to respect the ridiculous amount of firepower he’ll have to work with in this matchup.
1. Buffalo Bills (Week 10, Nov. 13)
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The Bills are building a juggernaut.
They already have one of the league’s most terrifying offenses, and now, they just added former Defensive Player of the Year Von Miller. How much firepower does one team need?
And to top it all off, the Vikings’ receivers will have to deal with a returning Tre’Davious White and rookie first-round draft pick Kaiir Elam on the backend.
Yes, Jefferson, Thielen and Osborn are all really, really good. But that Bills defense could be a problem.
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