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Bold predictions for the Vikings offense

By Justin Ekstrom

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JANUARY 1: Kyle Rudolph #82 of the Minnesota Vikings celebrates with teammates after a 22 yard touchdown catch in the second quarter of the game agains the Chicago Bears on January 1, 2017 at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JANUARY 1: Kyle Rudolph #82 of the Minnesota Vikings celebrates with teammates after a 22 yard touchdown catch in the second quarter of the game agains the Chicago Bears on January 1, 2017 at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images) /
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Minnesota is being marketed as the Bold North. Here are some bold predictions for the Minnesota Vikings offense.

Since the Minnesota Vikings have officially begun training camp for the 52nd and final time down in Mankato, the prognostications can now begin. Of course, Sporting Sota has already predicted whom they believe will be crowned Mr. Mankato this season. We now can move on to bigger and better predictions by giving the readers our bold predictions for the Vikings’ offense.

The team now is moving on to their bold offensive predictions. The offensive predictions will then be followed by the defensive predictions, record predictions and then finally, hardware predictions.

Here is the writing team’s best and brightest at work again to boldly predict something so drastic that readers will only be able to say, “that will never happen.”

If everything goes according to plan, most of these predictions will be positive and they will all come true. However, I am quite the cynic and I cannot promise pure positivity but I will try.

Justin Ekstrom– The tight end position yields 15 or more touchdowns.

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So many possibilities from a team that went 8-8 and missed the playoffs. However, I will keep my promise for a positive bold prediction. The tight end position will be responsible for at least 15 touchdowns this season. It is already well documented how much I love our tight ends that it may border on criminal. I have gone on record saying Bucky Hodges will give us something as we may see many more two or three tight end-sets tha n we have in the past. I also have more affection for David Morgan than any grown man should but I see him being the new Swiss Army Knife as a blocker and pass catcher.

Jake Andersen -Sam Bradford will have a Pro Bowl season resulting  in a contract extension with the Vikings.

I’m definitely going bold with this prediction, but I don’t think it’s far-fetched. When Teddy Bridgewater went down prior to last season, Bradford came in as the knight in shining armor via trade with the Philadelphia Eagles. Having only 15 days to prepare, he performed magnificently for the Vikings given the circumstances. In fact, he finished with career-highs in passing yards (3877), completion percentage (71.6) and QB rating (99.3).

While the season finished disastrously, much of the blame should fall on an offensive line that couldn’t run block and give Bradford time to throw down field. This season, he has a full offseason with the Vikings offense as well as an improved offensive line. He also will be playing for his next contract since his current deal expires after the season. Basically, he will be in a far better spot heading into the regular season, so there’s no reason to think that he can’t improve on his numbers from last season and make his first Pro Bowl of his career.

If my prediction becomes reality, the Vikings may have no choice but to lock up Bradford to a long-term deal at the expense of Bridgewater.

Travis Young – At least a 100% jump in the league-wide ranking for the run and total offense numbers into the 10-15 range.

A season ago, the Vikings struggled offensively; finishing 28th in the league with just 315 yards a game and dead last with just 75 rushing yards a game. Much of this can be contributed to injuries along the offensive line and Sam Bradford being added after training camp. With the primary additions on the offensive line of book end tackles Riley Reiff and Mike Remmers, whose respective strengths are run blocking, a fortified wide receiving core and backfield along with a full camp for Bradford, great results will be evident.

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Collin Kottke – Dalvin Cook will have more rushing yards this season with the Vikings than Adrian Peterson will with the New Orleans Saints.

This is pretty self-explanatory. Cook has a couple things going for him as we close in on the season. Cook will be running behind a better line than the Vikings had last season. It also looks like he’ll be given the opportunity to thrive and run with the position. Peterson goes to the Saints as an aged running back who is far from the number one option. Drew Brees is one of the best QBs in NFL history and that will take away from Peterson’s rushing yards in 2017.

Finish- Will all of the bold predictions come true for the Vikings and their offense this year? Obviously, the team would love to have most of the listed prognostication come to fruition, however unlikely that may seem. Every year, though, teams surprise even themselves and hopefully our men in purple do just that in the 2017 season.

Next: Let's check out the Vikings position battles!

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