NFL Trade Rumors: Donovan McNabb to the Minnesota Vikings Impact

ESPN is reporting that the Minnesota Vikings have a trade in place to acquire Donovan McNabb from the Washington Redskins.

So, what does that mean for the Vikings in 2011?

How will their passing game and running game be affected by the new quarterback? Do they have a shot at winning the NFC North now?

Here's a look at how the potential trade will help the Vikings.

Passing Game

Now that McNabb appears to be the quarterback of 2011, the attention shifts to Sidney Rice.

If the Vikings can't re-sign Rice, it severely hampers their offensive potential.

Just look at how the loss of Rice affected Brett Favre last season. In 2009, Favre had one of the best seasons of his career thanks largely to the emergence of Rice as a great wide receiver.

In 2010, Rice was injured for the first half of the season, causing Favre and the Vikings to struggle mightily.

They just don't have another receiver as reliable as Rice. Percy Harvin is a solid hybrid receiver/running back, but he's more of a Wes Welker type of receiver than a deep threat like Rice.

Also, Harvin's constant migraine problems make him a risk to miss a game at a moment's notice.

So, if the Vikings can re-sign Rice, McNabb will be a major upgrade from 2010.

If they can't, he'll still be an upgrade, but he won't have as big of an impact.

Now that McNabb to Minny is all but a done deal, the first round pick of Christian Ponder has to be called into question.

Yes, Ponder could still be the QB of the future, but McNabb could still have three or four years left in his tank.

The No. 12 overall pick seems like a very high price to pay for a guy who will be holding a clipboard for a few years.

Running Game

Once again, McNabb isn't the primary influence on the running game.

Sure, defenses will have to respect him more than Ponder or Tarvaris Jackson (who was recently signed by the Seattle Seahawks), but if he doesn't have a deep threat to throw to, defenses will continue to stack the box against Adrian Peterson.

But, simply adding McNabb will back off the defenses a little bit. Adding Rice would open up a lot of running room for AP.

However, Peterson is going to put up big numbers even if the opposing defense puts 11 guys in the box. Still, Vikings fans have to hope that won't be the case.

Playoff Chances

The NFC North is a very tough division. The Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers, the NFC Championship loser Chicago Bears and the up and coming Detroit Lions all make the Vikings' path to the playoffs a tough one.

But, McNabb gives them a fighting chance. They probably won't be able to win the division, but they have a legitimate shot at a wild card spot now.

Once again though, now that the QB situation is taken care of, all of the Vikings' attention should turn to re-signing Sidney Rice.