The 2023-24 Vikings season came to an end with a 30-20 loss in Detroit on Sunday. Here are five things that stood out in the game, including a glimpse into the questions Minnesota will have to answer over the next few months.
1. Justin Jefferson surpasses 1,000 yards
Despite not being targeted in the first quarter, Jefferson still managed to put up enough numbers to eclipse 1,000 yards for the fourth straight season to start his career. In fact, the 24-year-old lit up the Lions for 192 yards and a touchdown on 12 receptions.
Jefferson needed 118 yards to join Randy Moss, A.J. Green, Mike Evans and Michael Thomas as the only receivers since 1970 to start their career with four straight 1,000-yard seasons.
Jefferson, despite missing eight games with a hamstring injury, finished the 2023 season with 67 catches for 1,074 yards and five touchdowns.
2. Where will Vikings pick in NFL Draft?
The Falcons losing to the Saints didn’t help Minnesota. Both teams finished the season 7-10, but the Falcons will pick ahead of the Vikings because they own the weaker strength of schedule tiebreaker.
That means the best pick the Vikings can get is No. 10, though they can’t fall any lower than No. 12. It’ll all be settled once we know what happens with the Bears and Raiders later Sunday. Both the Bears and Raiders are 7-9 and if both lose the Vikings can jump up to the No. 10 pick.
3. That was a first down?
Trailing 7-0 late in the first quarter, the officials decided to measure on a close spot after Jahmyr Gibbs finished his fourth-and-one run close to the first down marker. It was super close and the view from the FOX cameras appeared to show a narrow gap between the tip of the football and the first down, but the head official signaled for a first down and on the next play Jared Goff connected with Khalif Raymond for a long pass inside the 5-yard line. Two plays later the Lions scored for a 13-0 lead.
A story of this Vikings season in two parts pic.twitter.com/pHOWbDVZXr
— Ivan, Czar of Bohunks (@Up4Discussion_7) January 7, 2024
4. Battered offensive line
Minnesota started the game without their starting right guard and right tackle (Ed Ingram and Brian O’Neill) because of injuries and they wound up losing their starting left guard, Dalton Risner, to an injury for part of the first half. With backups accounting for three-fifths of the offensive line, Nick Mullens was sacked three times and hit seven times in the first half.
Mullens was sacked once more in the second half for a total of four. The journeyman QB was sacked 12 times in his last 14 quarters of play with the Vikings.
5. Was that the last of Hunter and Smith?
Roster turnover is inevitable but the Vikings could be looking at significant roster changes. On defense, Danielle Hunter, who set a career high with 16.5 sacks, is set to become a free agent in mid-March. Will the Vikings be able to pay him what he deserves when they also have to find big money for Jefferson and left tackle Christian Darrisaw?
If Hunter re-signs, will it be at the expense of veteran safety Harrison Smith, whose $19.2 million cap hit in 2024 may be too expensive on a team that has solid safety depth with Josh Metellus and Cam Bynum?
