Minnesota Vikings 2022-23 Regular Season (13-4)

Welcome to Skoloholics! Let’s take a look at that tremendous 2022-2023 Minnesota Vikings season. We review each game, so we should also review the Viking season. Don’t you think? Good, glad you agree.

We’ve reached the end of the 2022-23 NFL season, and what a season it was for Vikings fans! The Minnesota Vikings capped off their improbable season with a solid victory over the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. That victory improved the Vikings’ record to 13 and 4 on the regular season, the third seed in the NFC, and NFC North champions for the first time since 2017.

Many fans had moderate to low expectations going into this year, and for good reason. The Vikings replaced the front office and coaching staff after back-to-back disappointing seasons in 2020 and 2021. GM Kwesi-Adofo-Mensah (KAM) replaced Rick Spielman, and Kevin O’Connell (KOC) replaced Mike Zimmer. Both replacements were the “anti” choice, as they both differ in their approach, personalities, communication style, etc.

General Manager

KAM had an iffy first draft. I’m not as down on this draft as some are, as I feel you have to wait another year (at least) until you can judge a draft remotely accurately. Also, they were using Spielman’s scouting team, so I’ll be interested to see how they do next year. Injuries to the top two players hurt, but they had both been unable to crack the starting roster at that point anyway, although Cine was a contributor on special teams. That being said, some of the later-round picks have contributed positively. Ed Ingram won the starting role in training camp and has started the entire season. He’s had some rookie struggles but is an upgrade over what we’ve had in the past and looks to be a fixture for the future. Guys like Asamoah, Evans, Nailor, and some others have played well when given a shot, so the draft isn’t as bad as some think. The two trades in the draft are still baffling to me, and I chalk those both up as net losses, but time will confirm or refute that opinion. Both were head scratchers, though.

KAM has made some brilliant free agent signings, such as Za’Darius Smith, and he pulled off a pre-deadline trade to add T.J. Hockenson, another tremendous move by the new GM. You have to remember that Speilman had signed some contracts in recent years which put the team in a disadvantageous situation, cap-wise. KAM had to sign an extension with Cousins to avoid paying a $45 million cap hit in 2022, and he made several other moves to create space. He has the team sitting in a much better long-term position, as he’s done the best with what he was handed. The situation he stepped in wasn’t optimal, but he’s righted the ship and seems to have us pointed in the right direction. Overall, I have to say I like what I’ve seen from the new GM.

Head Coach

Coach Kevin O’Connell has, thus far, been a breath of fresh air. I was as skeptical as many of you were about the “kumbaya” approach, but whatever he’s doing seems to be working as is evidenced by the results. The players love him like they loved Zimmer in his first years here, and they’re playing inspired football. I think one of O’Connell’s biggest strengths is his willingness to learn. He repeatedly points out areas where they (the coaches) made mistakes or where they could do better, and acknowledging areas in need of improvement is step one in getting better at your job. I think the Vikings made a tremendous hire here.

KOC and KAM

KOC seems to be a perfect fit with KAM thus far, so let’s hope they continue to do what they’re doing, while improving in areas where they need it. KAM has had a couple misses but has also made some solid roster moves. The additions of Hockenson and Z Smith were home runs, and the team is in a better long term position cap-wise.

Offense

Overall, the offense has been pretty good. They finished the regular season 7th in the NFL in yards/game and 8th in points/game. The coaching staff seems to be learning on the fly a bit, as you can look at some games where the game plan was abysmal, and KOC and co. seem to be outcoached. As the season has progressed, and especially so in the last game, the team has become much more balanced. For a period, they seemed to be hell bent on being a pass-first offense, but they became somewhat predictable. I think a return to a more balanced approach will help the offense to run more effectively. Kirk is having a down year on the stat sheet, but the team is getting wins.

Kirk Cousins

Kirk Cousins. Has there been a more polarizing player in team history? It’s funny, it seems that fans either love him or hate him. He lights up the stat sheet but finds ways to frustrate fans. I’ve been a fan for a long time, so I can vividly recall many years with poor quarterback play. Those games are not fun to watch, and unless you have a cyborg at running back, you aren’t going to the playoffs unless you have a decent quarterback. Kirk is maybe a top 10 quarterback in the NFL. He’s never going to be a top 3 guy who can carry a team on his back, but he can make some amazing throws and when he is on, he is hard to stop. I’m glad that we have Kirk Cousins but understand his limitations. Until they have another answer at QB, they need Kirk here. Who has been throwing passes to Justin Jefferson?

JJ

Speaking of Justin Jefferson, this kid is sure fun to watch. I hope he gets over the frustration he’s been showing the past couple of weeks and is focused on the task at hand in the playoffs, and I’m sure he will. This kid has a good head on his shoulders, and he’s also one of the best, if not the best, wide receivers in the NFL. What a tremendous season by the young wide receiver, that catch on 4th and 18 against Buffalo will go down in history. Legendary. I’m going to make sure to appreciate watching JJ as he gets better and better, as we could be watching a legend in the making. If he can stay healthy, the sky is the limit.

Defense

As we entered the 2022 season, most of us thought “oh well, at least the defense can’t be any worse than last year”. Boy, were we wrong! This defense finished the season 31st in yards allowed per game, and 30th in points allowed per game. We must acknowledge that the defense has looked much improved over the past several games of the season. Even the Packers game wasn’t a horrible performance by the defense, so they seem to be improving in the late part of the season. Our only hope is that they can get red hot and improve to league average for the playoffs. If they could somehow manage to do that, and if the offense can function, this team could be fun to watch in the playoffs.

Regular Season

What a fun year to be a Vikings fan! Yes, it was a successful season as the team won 13 games, but it was HOW they won the games that made this season memorable for Vikings fans. Every game seemed to come down to the end, and the one-score games repeatedly ended with a Vikings win. We’ll go over a couple of the more memorable wins below. Losses were few, but they were bad, as each loss was by double digits. The Vikings capped off the regular season with a big win in Chicago, and head into the playoffs with positive momentum.

Vikings @ Bills

The most creative writer in Hollywood couldn’t come up with the ending to the Bills game if you gave them a million years. If they did come up with this idea for a movie, it would be laughed off as too unbelievable. That comeback and finish in Buffalo is something I will never forget and has to be on the list of best games of all time.

Vikings vs. Colts: The Comeback

Nothing this team could do would surprise anyone anymore. The Vikings went into the locker room at halftime down 33 to zero after having been humiliated by a bad Colts team with a head coach who had never called plays and had been an analyst until 3 weeks prior to the game. As expected, the Vikings defense only allowed the Colts to score 3 more points that game, and the Vikings pulled off the biggest comeback in NFL history in overtime as they beat the Colts 39-36.

Playoffs

This is not an elite team who is going to blow into the playoffs and destroy every opponent with certainty each week. If you expect that, good luck. I do think that this team CAN beat any team in the NFL. I’m not saying that they will, but they can. When the Vikings offense is humming, it is hard to stop. The offense has great to elite talent at several positions on the offense. Guys like JJ, Hockenson, Cook, and Cousins can inflict harm on the opposition when they are rolling. When they aren’t rolling, they can be impotent. Let’s hope the coaching staff has figured out some form of Viagra to cure their impotence, because we don’t need that in the playoffs.

Defense

Defense is a big concern for the Vikings heading into the playoffs, although as I mentioned above, I feel that the defense has improved in recent weeks. I hope that Donatell has made changes that have helped facilitate that improvement. It sure seems like they’re playing a different “brand” of defense, as we’ve seen more pressure on the quarterback and tighter coverage than we had seen for long stretches of time during the regular season.

Greg Joseph

Speaking of concerns……..Greg Joseph. He’s our kicker, so I’ll be cheering for him to make every kick. I’ll also be as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs every time he lines up to kick. This guy puts you on an emotional roller coaster ride throughout the season. He’ll split the uprights with 5 yards extra on a 61-yard game winner, but then he’ll randomly miss the most important extra points. One year, he’s money from beyond 50. The next year, he misses so far wide that the ball hit a cheerleader on the sideline (that might be a slight exaggeration). Every time this guy lines up to kick in the playoffs, how will you feel? Yeah, me too. Go Greg!

Summary

What do I expect heading into the playoffs? I have no “expectations”, so I head into the playoffs with curiosity more than anything. I’m curious to see just what this team can pull off. Do I expect them to make a Superb Owl run? Nah. Do I think they can? If this season has proven one thing, it’s that this team is capable of ANYTHING. So, who knows?

In the end, the Minnesota Vikings are NFC North champions, and they’re hosting the New York Giants in round one of the playoffs at U.S. Bank Stadium. My family and I WILL be there, cheering LOUDLY for the guys in purple. If any of you are in Minneapolis, we’re talking of having a Skoloholics meet and greet. Give us a shout on the post or whatever, and hopefully we can get something scheduled. However the Vikings got here, they’re in the playoffs, so let’s hope they can pull off a miracle run. SKOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!