Minnesota Vikings: 5 Biggest Storylines for the Rest of the NFL Season

After starting the season 1-5, things haven't really turned out the way Vikings fans expected, but that doesn't necessarily mean that there aren't some big storylines to follow in Minnesota.

Dropping the first four games after leading in each, one took away a lot of Minnesota's confidence in their team. The Vikings are a lot better than they appear on paper. I don't see any horseshoes or hand grenades, so obviously winning is the only thing that matters in the NFL.

In the coming weeks, Vikings fans will have a lot to be excited, or at least intrigued about.

Even before the 2011 season officially began, this past year has been loaded with uncertainty in every aspect of the phrase.

The Vikings weren't sure if they were going to be able to hang on to two of their best players in Adrian Peterson and Chad Greenway. They weren't sure who was going to be their current and long-term quarterback. They weren't sure if they were going to have to endure another year with the gunslinger. And most importantly, they weren't sure if they would even return to Minnesota at the 2011 season's end.

With several of those questions already answered, and some new ones popping up, there are plenty of interesting and entertaining storylines to follow with this team that, after six weeks, has already become "irrelevant."

Upsetting Divisional Rivals

I'm not going to sit here and be the guy that predicts the Vikings upset an undefeated Green Bay Packers team.

I will say, though, that the "lowly" Vikings putting up a fight in the toughest division in football would be one of the best storylines of the season.

Despite popular belief, the Vikings have plenty of impact players that are fully capable of changing the course of any given game. Adrian Peterson and Percy Harvin are two of the most explosive offensive playmakers in the NFL, and Jared Allen is quietly on his way to a defensive MVP season. These players may not be enough to bring a Super Bowl to Minnesota (this year), but they are certainly capable of screwing up games for opposing teams like the Packers, Lions and Bears.

Don't get me wrong, the Packers are the best team in football. I'm just saying that it wouldn't be the first time a great team dropped a trap game. The Pack will likely win the division, but there will be opportunities for the Purple to make some big plays.

The Lions are not as good as their record indicates. The Vikings embarrassed them in the first half of their Week 4 matchup, despite giving up a big second half and ultimately falling to the Motor City Kitties.

It seems to me that the Lions have had a few victories fall into their laps. With their schedule getting increasingly difficult, Detroit will start to drop more and more games. With chips on their shoulders, I have no doubt that the Vikings would be able to upset the Honolulu Blue when the two teams meet in Detroit.

The Bears were able to utterly embarrass the Vikings in Chicago. It could be a different story in Minnesota, however, having to gameplan for a more mobile and agile QB that is able to make plays outside the pocket.

Christian Ponder was able to move the ball relatively will against Chicago's defense despite having little to no first-team reps in practice. After getting 10 weeks in the NFL under his belt, we will see a different and much improved Ponder in Week 17 when the Bears come to the Homer-Dome.

Like I said, I'm not here to predict that the Vikings are going to go 10-0 from here on out, but providing upsets against strong teams—like their divisional rivals—will be some huge storylines for Vikings fans.

Progression of Young Players

Along with the Vikings new starting QB, there are plenty of other young guys ready to make an impact for this team.

The days of the Williams Wall are clearly over, but Kevin Williams is still one of the better DTs in the league and is becoming somewhat of a mentor for some promising young defensive linemen.

Everson Griffen, Christian Ballard and Brian Robison have all shown some flashes in becoming the future of the Vikings defensive line—a position group that the team has always been known for.

Chris Cook is off to a great start this year and has played well against some of the NFL's best receivers, including Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Vincent Jackson and Dwayne Bowe. While the Vikings secondary has been pretty weak ever since Darren Sharper left for New Orleans, Cook could become the guy in their secondary.

With FS Jamarca Sanford out with a concussion this week, rookie Mistral Raymond could finally get his NFL debut against the Green Bay Packers. Raymond is praised for his leadership skills, but because he was a sixth-round-pick, he hasn't been given his shot thus far. My theory on Raymond is that, the Packers found Tramon Williams, so there are always those low-profile guys out there that can come in and have a positive impact on a team. S Mistral Raymond could be that guy for the Vikes.

The Vikings offensive line is ailing. C Jon Sullivan is out with a concussion, RT Phil Loadholt and LT Charlie Johnson have injured triceps and LG Steve Hutchinson has a swollen knee. While some of those guys will still start on Sunday afternoon, playing time will likely be effected and some young guys like C/G Brandon Fusco and T Demarcus Love will have to step up.

TE Kyle Rudolph was considered one of the steals of the 2011 draft. The Notre Dame product supposedly has the potential to be the next Jason Witten-type TE. Christian Ponder has already warmed up to his rookie safety-net and the two will likely grow into a Romo-Witten type on-the-field relationship.

The Vikings will start to work their young players into games more, especially now that they've started so far behind in their division. Expect to see a lot of new faces in different areas of the field for the Vikings, because like it or not, they are rebuilding in Minnesota.

Finding a No. 1 Wide Receiver

I already alluded to the Vikings ailing offensive line as a one of the team's biggest problems this season, but a more essential resolution will be to find a deep-threat WR.

In 2009 the Vikings caught a glimpse of a star wideout that they haven't seen since the likes of Randy Moss. Now it seems, though, that Sidney Rice's stardom was created and sustained by Brett Favre. Since signing with Seattle, he hasn't been nearly as productive.

Regardless, Rice's departure has left the Vikings without a No. 1 receiver and a deep threat at that.

Percy Harvin and Michael Jenkins are both very talented receivers, but Harvin excels in the slot and Jenkins is a blocking receiver. Neither possess the type of skills necessary to be the go-to deep threat in the NFL. The Vikings will need to discover that guy on their own roster, in free agency or look to the 2012 draft for a guy like Justin Blackmon, Alshon Jeffery or Michael  Floyd.

Leslie Frazier has tried multiple times to make Bernard Berrian that guy for the Vikings, but not one of those attempts has come to fruition. Berrian's role will likely diminish more and more while the Vikes work Devin Aromashodu into the lineup even more.

Aromashodu has shown in a few instances that he could be the guy the Vikings are looking for—but that's not to say that he doesn't need some work. If given the types of chances that Berrian has had, Aromashodu could end up becoming a serviceable replacement for Sidney Rice and eventually one of the main pieces in the Vikings' passing attack.

Aromashodu's development along with his new QB could become one of the most interesting storylines of the season. If he can become the deep threat Minnesota needs, the Vikings will win some more games.

The Christian Ponder Era

The rumors are officially true: the Christian Ponder era begins in Minnesota on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers.

Since the Vikings drafted Ponder with their No. 12 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, it appeared that the Vikings were, once and for all, filling their hole at QB. Minnesota hadn't drafted a QB in the first round since Daunte Culpepper, it appeared that Leslie Frazier wanted to set a precedent for his tenure as head coach.

Reactions over the selection were mixed because Ponder was regarded as second-round talent, even though the Vikings took him so high in the first round. Eventually, Ponder won over most of the fanbase and it seems that everyone has been cheering for him to beat out Donovan McNabb since the season began.

After a 1-4 start, Ponder finally saw the field in a lopsided loss to the Chicago Bears only a week ago. Despite failing to ever reach the end zone, Ponder played pretty well and was eventually named the starting QB for the remainder of the 2011 season.

Regardless of whether Ponder can lead the Vikings to an upset over the Packers this weekend, seeing a fresh face on the field clearly has the team energized and the whole state of Minnesota eager to see what the kid can do.

At this point, it doesn't really matter how successful Ponder is this season. Even the slightest of improvement would be a little victory for the Vikings faithful.

Ponder's development will be fun to watch, and probably one of the most interesting storylines in the NFL at this point in the season.

As the Ponder Era begins in Minnesota, fans finally have something to be excited about this season.

Getting a Stadium Deal Done

The Minnesota Vikings will effectively be out of a home on January 1st, 2012. That, of course, is unless they can get Minnesota's state legislature to agree to a proposal for a new stadium that will essentially keep the Vikings here forever.

The proposed site is in Arden Hills, MN, only about 10 minutes from downtown Minneapolis. The site is on a former army ammunitions plant that is now unused because of the poor quality of the land. The Vikings agreed to pay to clean up the area, but the state still hasn't come to an agreement over how to pay for the $1.1 billion stadium.

Governor Mark Dayton has given a date that the problem will be resolved by: November 23rd. While this seems like great news to stadium supporters, it also leaves the door open to the potential death of the plan.

Officials from the NFL told legislators that they wouldn't deny the Vikings the right to leave Minnesota if they could not find a place to play.

It is for this reason that this needs to get done now. The state of Minnesota cannot afford to lose this team. The Vikings mean too much to this state and to their fans to allow them to leave just like the Lakers and Northstars did.

In the next few weeks, we will find out what direction this is headed in. As the issue comes to a head, a resolution will be found—one way or another. The only thing Vikings fans can do at this point is hope, hope that legislators can make the right decision.

Regardless of the outcome, this storyline is far and away the most important in Minnesota. As things heat up and we get down to the wire, the media will be all over this topic and one way or another, we will find out if the Minnesota Vikings will stay the Minnesota Vikings.

Thanks for reading.