A few weeks ago, I felt like the Vikings were going to have been true playoff contenders but-for the Kirk achilles tear.
But between Dobbs keeping the offense going, and the defense looking legitimately like a top 5-10 unit in that time, they might still just be flat-out playoff contenders even without Kirk. With a bunch of young guys popping all over the field on defense, suddenly the long-term trajectory of this defense feels a lot different.
Defense wins championships, old rule that still rings true. You’re not getting a ring if you don’t have a top ten D (I’m sure it happens, just not very often).