The No. 1 factor that caused me to predict the Vikings would go 7-10 this season — a disastrous prognostication that became mathematically impossible at roughly the halfway point of the year — was a perceived lack of depth on the roster.
In changing decision-makers at GM and head coach in the offseason but largely keeping a top-heavy roster intact, the Vikings went in 2022 with a familiar calculus: Hope that enough of their best players don't get hurt, because the drop-off in talent and experience at key spots was precipitous.
They navigated an 8-1 start with relative good health, and the injuries they picked up along the way were largely nonfactors in final outcomes.