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Minnesota Vikings
Last Season: 11-5
NFC North champs; lost in wild-card round
Preseason power ranking: 12
One of the league's top defenses stands up to a slate of prolific passers, the offensive line holds up, running back Adrian Peterson surges to another impressive season at age 31 and the Vikings get serviceable quarterback play from Shaun Hill and/or Sam Bradford in the absence of Teddy Bridgewater. With Peterson's contributions, a stout defense and strong special teams units, the Vikings return to the playoffs for the second straight season, even after the season-ending injury to Bridgewater.
The player looked upon as the key to the Vikings taking the next step dislocated his knee and tore his ACL on a non-contact play on Aug. 30, and he's done for the season. The offense was being retooled to play to Bridgewater's strengths, but now it's likely to go back to the days of heavy doses of Peterson, unless Bradford picks things up quickly or Hill has enough left to complement Peterson effectively. If defenses are able to load the box and limit Peterson, the Vikings could miss the playoffs despite being strong in other areas.
Vikings’ percentage chance to win each game
Sept. 11 @ Tennessee: 58.9
Sept. 18 vs. Green Bay: 53.3
Sept. 25 @ Carolina: 36.0
Oct. 3 vs. N.Y. Giants: 67.9
Oct. 9 vs. Houston: 64.5
Oct. 23 @ Philadelphia: 61.8
Oct. 31 @ Chicago: 53.2
Nov. 6 vs. Detroit: 72.6
Nov. 13 @ Washington: 46.7
Nov. 20 vs. Arizona: 58.7
Nov. 24 @ Detroit: 56.0
Dec. 1 vs. Cowboys: 67.6
Dec. 11 @ Jacksonville: 53.0
Dec. 18 vs. Indianapolis: 62.7
Dec. 24 @ Green Bay: 37.3
Jan. 1 vs. Bears: 72.2
Ben Goessling’s game-by-game predictions
From Bridgewater to Hill to Bradford in the span of a week, not much has really changed with this one. Bridgewater was just 21st in the league in pass attempts while starting all 16 games last year. Having Peterson makes quarterback confidence less critical, and Bradford’s primary job will be to run the offense through the run game and maybe hit a couple of play-action deep shots up the field. -- Dan Graziano
Running back Jerick McKinnon blossomed into a contributor in both the rushing and passing games late last season, and the Vikings figure to have a bigger role for him in 2016. McKinnon could be asked to spell Peterson at times, but the Vikings can also get him the ball in a number of different ways, including lining him up as a receiver.
Wide receiver Charles Johnson is back from a broken rib, and is likely to start the year as the Vikings' split end. It's dangerous to bank on big numbers from a Vikings wide receiver, though, given Peterson's presence in the offense and especially because of the uncertainty at quarterback following Bridgewater's injury.
The Vikings had Super Bowl aspirations before Bridgewater's injury, and their bold trade for Bradford signals they still believe they can get there with the right mix at QB. It's now up to coach Mike Zimmer to rally the team back from the bitter disappointment of losing Bridgewater. "That's our job: Find a way," Zimmer said the day Bridgewater got hurt.