The Minnesota Vikings are once again playing the waiting game on quarterback Brett Favre heading into the 2010 season.

The Vikings are, without a question, one of the top teams to win the Super Bowl if Favre decides to come back for another season, after leading the team to the NFC North division title and a 12-4 record almost taking this team the Super Bowl.

Without Favre, the Vikings will not only struggle to hold off the Packers in the North, and they could end up watching the postseason at home.

Here is a quick preview of the 2010 Minnesota Vikings and where I believe they will finish the season in the NFC North.

 

Offense

All signs point to Favre coming back for another run at the Super Bowl this season, and I don’t know why he would even think about retiring after the numbers he put up in 2009. Favre threw for 4,202 yards with 33 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. The seven interceptions was the lowest total of Favre’s career. Without Favre, the Vikings will either turn to Sage Rosenfels or Tavaris Jackson.

Without question, Adrian Peterson is the best running back Favre has had in his NFL career, but Peterson could have a much bigger load on his shoulders in 2010, as backup Chester Taylor will not return. The Vikings used their second round pick on Toby Gerhart, and he figures to be the leading candidate to replace Taylor.

With Favre at quarterback, the Vikings receiving corps improved greatly in 2009.

Sidney Rice turned in his best performance of his career, grabbing 83 passes for 1,312 yards and eight touchdowns.

Tight end Visanthe Shiancoe also benefited greatly with Favre on the team, as he hauled in 56 passes for 566 yards and a team high 11 touchdown receptions.

While Bernard Berrian is the team’s No. 2 threat on the outside, I believe the guy to watch out for is second-year pro Percy Harvin, who was very impressive as a rookie.

The offensive line was solid all season for the Vikings as they were able to stay pretty healthy over the duration of the season. All five starters return for the 2010 season, and I think you can expect another solid season out of this bunch, as they must do whatever it takes to keep Favre from getting sacked and risking injury.

 

Defense

The Vikings have one of the most feared 4-3 defensive lines in all of football, behind  Pro Bowl defensive end Jared Allen and Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kevin Williams. Allen was a beast for the Vikings in 2009, with a team high 14.5 sacks, but he wasn’t the only one causing problems for opposing quarterbacks as defensive end Ray Edwards racked up 8.5 sacks last season.

Pat Williams is back for his 13th season at defensive tackle, and he gives the Vikings one of the best run stuffing combos in the NFL.

At linebacker, the Vikings are hoping that middle linebacker E.J. Henderson can return from a broken leg, as he makes this unit that much better when he is on the field.

On the outside, Chad Greenway continues to get better and Ben Leber is a solid veteran that knows how to get things done.

The Vikings struggled against the pass in 2009, finishing with the 19th ranked pass defense, and a big reason for that was the loss of corner Antoine Winfield for six games due to a broken foot.

Winfield is expected to be ready to go and will likely start opposite of Cedric Griffin or newcomer Lito Sheppard. At safety, the Vikings are hoping to get big improvements out of both free safety Madieu Williams and strong safety Tyrell Johnson.

 

Prediction—First NFC North

Other than the loss of Taylor, the Vikings bring back pretty much the same team they had in 2009, and I see no reason why this team can’t repeat or even out-perform their 2009 season. The key will be Favre coming back and a number of players returning from injuries.

For a complete look at the upcoming season check out our 2010 NFL predictions . If you are looking for an edge in your NFL betting this season, be sure to check out our live NFL odds feed each and every week at Betfirms.