Five weeks into the season, who was favored as Super Bowl Favorites and listed at number one on most NFL Power Rankings? What team has lost six of their last seven games and is one and a half games out of first place in the NFC North? Many people would be surprised to know that the answer to both of those questions are the same team. The Minnesota Vikings have had a major collapse to their red hot start in the beginning of the year. The Vikings were the lone undefeated team at one point, but now boast a record of six wins and six losses. So what happened to this team exactly? Well, to dive into that you’re going to need a brief recap of the Vikings season up to this point.

The Vikings like every other hopeful team in the NFL, liked their chances to be successful in the up and coming 2016 season. They had a strong campaign last year led by the young flashy quarterback, Teddy Bridgewater, ageless wonder and future hall of fame running back, Adrian Peterson, and their vicious league leading defense. This was the point in the movie where the Vikings asked themselves the same ironic question that almost undoubtedly leads to one’s downfall. What could possibly go wrong? Well for starters, the Vikings young quarterback nearly lost his leg in a preseason practice. Teddy Bridgewater was going through a drill when he dislocated his knee and tore his ACL simultaneously. According to injury expert, Will Carroll, “Trainers may have saved his leg and career by quick action.” The Vikings season seemed to be lost right then and there, however they made a quick, hasty decision. They tried to salvage their season by trading away their first round pick of next year’s draft for the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback, Sam Bradford. Sam Bradford, former 1st overall pick from the 2010 draft, was expected to give the Vikings a slight chance of being competitive this season. Bradford filled in for the Vikings starting week two (after they barely managed to get a win week one) and led the team to a surprising win over Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. He then won again in week three against the defending Super Bowl champs, Carolina Panthers, on the road. The wins started to pile up and before anyone realized it, the Vikings were the lone undefeated team after week five. Who would have thought the Minnesota Vikings would be atop the league power rankings after week 5, without Peterson and Bridgewater?

The NFL revolves around consistency, however. All of the great teams consistently play at an elite level week in and week out. Week six was not as friendly as previous weeks for the Vikings. They played a poor game against the Philadelphia Eagles and were exposed for their week offense. Their first loss of the season; however was not a fluke. The Vikings went on to lose their next three games after that skid against the Eagles. Their power ranking status dropped from elite to average. The Vikings next seven games were crucial. They had to pick up the pace and return back to their stellar beginning of the season form. This however is easier said than done. The team from Minnesota ended up winning three times, but losing four to finish off their season. This put them at an eight and eight record and amongst them majority of teams that missed out on a playoff bid. All the Vikings needed were two more wins and they would have made the playoffs. After week five the Vikings went a miserable three and eight. Even if they just went a measly five and six, they most likely would have made the playoffs. Would the Vikings have done any damage if they had made the playoffs? Who knows. The fact of the matter is that the Vikings had an exceptional chance of making the playoffs, and they squandered it.

Was trading away a first round draft pick too high of a cost for Sam Bradford? If the Vikings’ General Manager knew they would go a mediocre eight and eight, then he most certainly would not have gone through with the deal. However, Vikings coach, Mike Zimmer, recently said that Bradford would start in the upcoming 2017 season. What does that mean for young stud, Teddy Bridgewater? Is his injury more severe than anticipated? This creates a quarterback controversy in Minnesota, that might not be necessarily that bad of one to have.
The Minnesota Vikings were careless and impatient this season. Instead of waiting for their time when all their key players were healthy, they bargained their future. Although it seemed to work at first, their method was ultimately lackluster. Instead of having a mid-first round pick, they will have the chaos of deciding who will be next year’s starting quarterback. The Vikings front office decision so far seems like a failure, but does it still have time to prove itself?