Ninth-worst in passing yards allowed. Third-worst in yards per pass allowed. Sixth-worst in overall yards allowed. Fourth-worst in points allowed.
That is the uphill scuffle in front of Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer this season as those rankings indicate the team’s defensive performance in 2020. The entire season went pear-shaped for Zimmer, ending up in a playoff absence and middling 7-9 record.
Minnesota opted to retain Zimmer and quarterback Kirk Cousins, focusing the offseason on rebuilding the defense with adequate depth, drafting the final pieces to a promising offensive line, and lining up Kellen Mond from Texas A&M University as the heir apparent to Cousins.