The Vikings had their starting quarterback go down with a knee injury after the first game of the season, they lost their starting running back to a torn ACL and their top wide receiver has missed the last two games, but they head into Sunday’s game against the Browns with a 5-2 record and sole possession of first place in the NFC North.
While that’s been a lot to deal with, the Vikings are used to it. They lost Teddy Bridgewater for the year before the 2016 season even started, saw their offensive line decimated by injuries, played without Adrian Peterson for much of the year and changed offensive coordinators while head coach Mike Zimmer dealt with eye problems that kept him from coaching one game.
During an appearance on PFT Live last week, tight end Kyle Rudolph talked about how the team has been able to navigate the uncertainty about their quarterback situation by sticking with “a consistent routine.” In an interview with Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com, Rudolph expanded on that and said that the team learned from last year that keeping things on an even keel is the best route to success.
“We’re a better team than the team that started 5-0 last year because we went through that, and we were able to learn from that adversity, and learn from the fact that just because you start 5-0 doesn’t mean you’ve accomplished anything,” Rudolph said.
A win this weekend would send the Vikings into the bye at 6-2, which won’t change much in terms of their accomplishment but will set them up to control their own playoff destiny in the second half regardless of what other tribulations might be in their future.
