After going 13-3 and advancing to the NFC Championship in thrilling fashion last season, expectations were very high for the Minnesota Vikings entering 2018.
During the offseason, quarterback Kirk Cousins was signed by the Vikings to a three-year, fully-guaranteed $84 million contract and free-agent defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson was added to an already loaded defense. Most of Minnesota’s key players were also returning for 2018.
The Vikings’ schedule from the beginning already looked tougher, but they still looked like an 11 or 12-win team barring many injuries.
Right before the start of training camp, however, Vikings offensive line coach Tony Sparano unexpectedly passed away.