Early look at the Detroit Lions 2017 opponents: Minnesota Vikings
By Ash Thompson
Wide Receivers
The Vikings are an intriguing group at wide receiver. Gone is perennial disappointment Cordarrelle Patterson, who would have been a great wide receiver if he could run patterns or catch the football. To replace him the Vikings have brought in a reclamation project on his last legs with the league. Michael Floyd lacks the elite speed of Patterson but is better at everything else a wide receiver needs. at 6’2″, and 220lbs, Floyd had three productive seasons in Arizona from 2013-2015, before a series of DUIs cost him his job, and he landed in New England. Floyd tested positive for alcohol during his house arrest recently. He claims he was unaware that Kombucha contains alcohol, but the league has never been kind to offenders claiming ignorance, Josh Gordon for example, which will likely limit his availability for the Vikings in 2017.
The Vikings return their top two wideouts from last season in Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen. Those are two of the league’s most underrated players. Additionally, the Vikings drafted LAquon Treadwell in the first round of the 2016 draft. This group could fit anywhere from the 25th to the 5th wide receiver group in the NFL for the 2017 season and I would not be surprised.
Floyd is the most likely Vikings receiver to cause problems for the Lions smallish corner group, particularly in the red zone, where he shined for the Patriots. 13.5% of Floyd’s catches last season were touchdowns. The length of his coming suspension should be of great interest to Lions fans.
Tight Ends
Kyle Rudolph continues to be the most well-rounded tight end in the NFL, as a very good blocker and receiver. Rudolph posted a career-high 83 receptions in 2016. He saw the most advantage from Bradford, and the check down offense last year. Look for him to regress to his norm this year as the Vikings look to open it up a little more.
Jarrad Davis could be in for a tough day against the wily veteran in week four. With any luck, he will have caught up with the league by week twelve. The Vikings also drafted Bucky Hodges, the 6’6″ tight end out of Virginia Tech, in the sixth round of the 2017 draft. He fills the Y tight end role, while second-year man David Morgan will only be a blocker for the Vikings.
Offensive Line
This was the cause of all the team’s trials and tribulations in 2016. There was a single hole in the dragon’s scales, and the NFL shot an arrow right through it after week five. The Vikings have replaced their offensive tackles entirely, bringing in respectable starters in Riley Reiff and Mike Remmers.
Reiff is the most average left tackle in the NFL, but that is such a massive step up from anything the Vikings had last season that it has to be regarded as a win. Remmers is best remembered as one of the offensive tackles that were absolutely victimized by the Broncos in the 2016 Super Bowl. Injuries forced him into a left tackle role for the Panthers last season, Remmers has trouble with speed rushers, the Lions have plenty of those to deploy against him. If they feed him a steady diet of Ziggy Ansah and Armonty Bryant, Sam Bradford will have a long day.
On the interior, the Vikings drafted Pat Elflein, who was the most pro-ready center of this year’s group and may have an effect on the week twelve game, but Alex Boone and Joe Berger will likely be the starting guards in week four with Nick Easton at Center. The interior of the Vikings O-line still looks shaky, and it will be the limiting factor for their team. If the Lions defensive tackles can walk their men into Bradford’s pocket, and clog the middle of the field, the Vikings offense will sputter.