It's time for the stretch run of the 2021 NFL season.
Half of the teams around the league — including the Vikings — have already had their bye week, while the other half will be off between Weeks 10-14.
And with the second half of the season looming, Cynthia Frelund of NFL Network took a look at each team and projected final win totals.
Frelund, who is the network's Analytics Expert, looked at the data and estimated the Vikings to finish with 8.7 wins.
Frelund wrote:
The Vikings upcoming schedule — featuring the Chargers in Week 10, plus the Rams in Week 16, Steelers in Week 14 and Packers (in Weeks 11 and 17) — is more difficult than the schedules of their peers in this muddle of NFC teams vying for the conference's final playoff slot. Minnesota's passing game is currently not a source of big plays, but it will be essential for that to change if the Vikings are to match (or improve on) this forecast.
While the Vikings obviously cannot finish with exactly 8.7 wins, that total is the seventh-highest among all NFC teams in Frelund's projections.
She has Seattle projected to finish with 8.3 wins, while Philadelphia is estimated to finish with 8.2 wins.
Based on Frelund's projections, those three teams would battle for the seventh and final playoff spot in the NFC.
Frelund has Green Bay projected to finish with 12.0 wins, while Chicago (5.8) and Detroit (1.4) were toward the bottom of the conference.
Vikings jump in PFF's offensive line rankings
The Vikings offensive line, much like the team itself, has gone through ups and downs this season.
Minnesota has allowed just one sack in the past three games, but dealt with inconsistency and frustrating moments earlier in the season.
Analytics website Pro Football Focus recently released its weekly offensive line rankings and had the Vikings at No. 24, a two-spot jump from the previous week.
Sam Monson of PFF wrote:
Christian Darrisaw looks like he will be a major upgrade for the Vikings at left tackle, but they got a look at another potential personnel change this past week when Mason Cole started at center and earned a 74.6 PFF game-grade against Baltimore. Garrett Bradbury has only four games in his NFL career that can match that number, and none of them have come since Week 10 of 2020.
Minnesota has a former first-round pick invested in Bradbury, but at some point, that is nothing but a sunk cost. Meanwhile, Brian O'Neill has allowed just eight pressures in eight games as the team's best lineman.
View photos of the Vikings 53-man roster as of Jan. 5, 2022.
1 K Greg Joseph
1 K Greg Joseph
3 P Jordan Berry
16 P Jordan Berry
7 CB Patrick Peterson
7 CB Patrick Peterson
8 QB Kirk Cousins
8 QB Kirk Cousins
11 QB Kellen Mond
11 QB Kellen Mond
12 WR Dede Westbrook
12 WR Dede Westbrook
14 QB Sean Mannion
14 QB Sean Mannion
15 WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette
15 WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette
17 WR K.J. Osborn
17 WR K.J. Osborn
18 WR Justin Jefferson
18 WR Justin Jefferson
20 CB Harrison Hand
20 CB Harrison Hand
22 S Harrison Smith
22 S Harrison Smith
23 S Xavier Woods
23 S Xavier Woods
24 CB Mackensie Alexander
24 CB Mackensie Alexander
2 RB Alexander Mattison
2 RB Alexander Mattison
26 RB Kene Nwangwu
26 RB Kene Nwangwu
3 CB Cameron Dantzler
27 CB Cameron Dantzler
29 CB Kris Boyd
29 CB Kris Boyd
30 FB C.J. Ham
30 FB C.J. Ham
31 RB Wayne Gallman
31 RB Wayne Gallman
4 RB Dalvin Cook
33 RB Dalvin Cook
35 TE Luke Stocker
35 TE Luke Stocker
41 LB Chazz Surratt
41 LB Chazz Surratt
42 LS Andrew DePaola
42 LS Andrew DePaola
44 S Josh Metellus
44 S Josh Metellus
45 LB Troy Dye
45 LB Troy Dye
48 LB Blake Lynch
48 LB Blake Lynch
52 G Wyatt Davis
52 G Wyatt Davis
55 LB Anthony Barr
55 LB Anthony Barr
56 C Garrett Bradbury
56 C Garett Bradbury
58 DT Michael Pierce
58 DT Michael Pierce
59 LB Nick Vigil
59 LB Nick Vigil
64 T Blake Brandel
64 T Blake Brandel
69 T Rashod Hill
69 T Rashod Hill
74 G Olisaemeka Udoh
74 G Olisaemeka Udoh
75 T Brian O'Neill
75 T Brian O'Neill
78 G Dakota Dozier
78 G Dakota Dozier
83 TE Tyler Conklin
83 TE Tyler Conklin
85 WR Dan Chisena
85 WR Dan Chisena
90 DT Sheldon Richardson
90 DT Sheldon Richardson
92 DT James Lynch
92 DT James Lynch
91 OLB Patrick Jones II
91 DE Patrick Jones II
94 DT Dalvin Tomlinson
94 DT Dalvin Tomlinson
96 DT Armon Watts
96 DT Armon Watts
98 DE D.J. Wonnum
98 DE D.J. Wonnum
O'Neill, a team captain, is PFF's highest-graded Vikings offensive lineman this season (snap counts are factored in) with an overall mark of 68.8.
Cole, who started Sunday in place of Bradbury, has a 73.9 grade but has played just 58 total snaps this season.
Darrisaw has started the past three games and has an overall grade of 65.3, while right guard Olisaemeka Udoh's season PFF grade is 60.5.
The other three linemen who have started multiple games this season — Bradbury, Ezra Cleveland and Rashod Hill — all have a grade below 60.
PFF's full offensive line rankings can be found here.
