The 2013 season was a turbulent and tumultuous one for the Minnesota Vikings, who ended the campaign bottom of the NFC North with a 5-10-1 record.
Injury problems, inconsistent team selections and a highly competitive division contributed to a disappointing season overall for the Vikings as they missed out on the playoffs.
Head coach Leslie Frazier paid the price for their form when he was fired on Black Monday, while the Vikings also said goodbye to their stadium of 31 years.
Here, Sports Mole looks back on the campaign.
Pre-season expectations
Hopes were high for the Vikings going into the 2013 season after they reached the playoffs in 2012, only to be beaten by the Green Bay Packers in the wildcard round. With the reigning NFL MVP Adrian Peterson in their ranks, Minnesota were predicted by many to challenge for a place in the post-season once again.
Highlight of the season
There weren't many to choose from for the Vikings, but hopes were raised ever so slightly in week 13 when they kept their slim playoff hopes alive with a dramatic win against the Chicago Bears. A week after drawing with the Green Bay Packers, the Vikings forced overtime once more with Blair Walsh kicking a field goal with just 30 seconds of normal time remaining to make it 20-20. Walsh had another kick disallowed in the added period but the Bears were unable to take advantage and the Vikings went on to nick a 23-20 victory. Their joy was short-lived, however, as they were eliminated from playoff contention the very next week.
Biggest disappointment
The start the Vikings made to the season was a huge disappointment for the team as they failed to win on American soil until week 10, only beating the Pittsburgh Steelers at Wembley before then. The lowest ebb of that run came in week seven when Minnesota came up against a New York Giants side that had lost all six of their matches so far, conceding 209 points in the process. The Vikings managed just seven points against the Giants, however, as the New York outfit clinched their first victory of the season with a 23-7 win, taking Minnesota's record to 1-5.
Player of the season
Adrian Peterson: He may not be an entirely original choice, but once again Peterson was the Vikings' most dangerous player throughout the season. The 2012 MVP couldn't deliver on his promise of becoming the first player to rush for more than 2,000 yards in consecutive seasons, but he still posted impressive figures of 1,266 yards and 10 touchdowns from 14 games. The 28-year-old was once again rewarded with a place in the Pro Bowl, having helped the Vikings finish with the 13th-beat offensive yardage despite their problems at quarterback.
Unsung hero
Greg Jennings: In an overall tough season for the Vikings, it was not going to be easy for anybody other than Peterson to stand out, but Jennings was making headlines with his mouth before the season had even started. While he never really looked like being able to replace the departing Percy Harvin man for man, Jennings still managed to lead the team with 68 catches for 804 yards and four touchdowns during his first year in Minnesota. Peterson and Patterson will take most of the praise for the team's offence, but Jennings certainly played a part and will be looking to improve once again in the upcoming off-season.
Off-season changes
There are likely to be quite a few of these. General manager Rick Spielman has already revealed that we can expect a busy Draft for his side, who have four picks in the opening three rounds. They could choose to bring in a new quarterback after Matt Cassel, Josh Freeman and Christian Ponder all failed to make the position their own last season, while a new receiver may also be high on their priority list.
There have been plenty of changes on the coaching staff too, with Leslie Frazier being replaced by Mike Zimmer in the most notable switch from last year. There is even a difference in where the Vikings will be playing next year as they move to the TCF Bank Stadium for the next two years while their new stadium is being built.
2014 prospects
A lot of this will rely on the Vikings' performance in May's Draft, and the way they adapt to a number of other changes in the off-season, but they certainly have a strong base to start with. Peterson and Patterson are likely to be the two players that Zimmer looks to build his team around and, if he can complement them with some good new additions as well as sorting out problems areas such as the quarterback then the playoffs would not be an unrealistic goal. As things stand, though, the Vikings will struggle to keep pace with the other three teams in a very competitive NFC North, so there is plenty of work to be done.
Barney Corkhill
