Breaking: Vikings will suck in 2024

[Still Hurtn]

3 Wins seems harsh. I would think 7-8 seems more likely. HOWEVER my purple glasses sees Darnold having his best season ever. Running game being respectable and Flores D getting to the QB more this year. 10 wins per purple glasses.

[Knucklehead]

Looking at it long term, I hope the guy is right. It's a very low probability that the Vikes are going anywhere this year, and I'm sure I'll feel sick to my stomach watching a 3 win season, but we can take the 1st pick of next year's draft and swap it to a QB hungry team for a boatload. Instead of treading in mediocrity the way we've done for years, go for broke for once and forget this competitive rebuild crap.

Agreed. 3-14 will yield a top 5 pick in the draft & prime opportunity to trade back to accumulate more draft capital.

[StickierBuns]

Agreed. 3-14 will yield a top 5 pick in the draft & prime opportunity to trade back to accumulate more draft capital.

That would be the silver lining. But that would be the silver lining for any team that chokes and coughs their way to 3 wins. I'll pass. That's a brutally long season. I think the only way they approach that territory is if Darnold sucks worse than he ever has since being in the NFL. Which considering this will be the best team he's ever been on very doubtful.

[supafreak84]

The article does bring up valid concerns, but nothing we didn't already know. To me it's all going to boil down to the quarterbacks. If one steps up and plays well, I could see us winning 8 or 9 games and competing for the playoffs. If they play poorly than I could certainly see it play out where we only win 3, 4 or 5 games. It's going to be an exciting season regardless and I certainly think we play better later in the season than early.

[Bullazin]

If Darn old busts we can win 7 games with Mullens. That said his cap hit is 325k so chances are he is traded or cut.

KOC’s offense gets people open, so I think Darnold has a good chance to get this team to 8 or 9 wins. Our defense is going to really get after the Qb and I think we are top 10 that side of the ball this year.

[MAD GAINZ]

3 Wins seems harsh. I would think 7-8 seems more likely. HOWEVER my purple glasses sees Darnold having his best season ever. Running game being respectable and Flores D getting to the QB more this year. 10 wins per purple glasses.

Agreed.  3 wins is in the range of outcomes, but I don't think it's likely.  I think the Vikings have enough talent at keys spots to win 7+ games like they did last season.  We were 4-4 against a tough schedule in the first half of the season with Kirk, and then went 3-6 with four one score losses starting Dobbs, Mullens, and Hall at QB.

For us to go 3-14, Darnold would have to completely suck, Hock doesn't come back healthy, and we would have to have some other key players miss time with injuries.  I think it's more likely we win 10+ games than win 3 or less.  However, the most likely range is 6-9 wins assuming Darnold is serviceable, the defense plays as good or slightly better than last season, and we don't suffer any major injuries.

[pattersaur]

Predicting 3 wins is certainly hot takey, but it would be to say that for any team in the NFL. His reasons for why our record might not be great are valid. It's his opinion. Meh.

I think we'll be closer to .500 but again, that's a safer bet for any team than predicting 3-14 or 14-3.

@NorseFeathers does bring up a good point though. A 3 win season and the draft slot and 2025 schedule that comes along with it would take our 2025 prospects and inject them with nitro fuel. So as painful as it would be to watch each week, longterm it'd be alright.

I predict the phrase, "The goal was always to make a run in 2025" will be parroted ad nauseum around here next season if we aren't winning games. And that's fine. So maybe 3 wins would actually be a good thing? So long as our key guys don't suffer longterm injuries and JJM and to a lesser extent Turner are improving either on the field or behind the scenes, then 2024 will be a step in the right direction. Whatever the record is in 2024, I won't be too down in the dumps about it. After all, the goal is to make a run in 2025

[wiviking]

Three wins is kind of funny when you consider we won that many last year, playing quarterbacks that make Darnold look like a pro bowl player. Okay, that may be a stretch. But there were two wins with a QB that didn't know the playbook. And week to week, we had no idea who would be be starting.

Now, if Mullens was planned on being our QB for the season, I could see predicting three wins.

[Montana Tom]

To all of these pundits who say "McCarthy didn't throw much in Harbaugh's run-heavy offense" and justify that as his body of work is insufficient, I say baloney.
An average of 22 throws per game is not "not much", especially if you are well ahead as they were in many games. Still JJM threw for just shy of 3,000 yards last year, and I think his completion rate was over 70%, one of 7 QBs with over 200 attempts (Bo Nix and Jayden Daniels being in that group) who also were over 70%.

I think he's right where I would expect him as a rookie, and hope like hell that he doesn't get thrown into a position where he has to start this season. I like where BFlo's defense is (except for the middle of the Dline...I wish we were more stout there.

Now if we can just avoid the injury bug, I think we'll be adequately solid on Offense and much improved on defense.

[kmillard]

KOC has his Qbs throwing around 40 times a game. It's going to take some adjustment for JJM.
(for some reason wouldn't quote Montana Tom above)