The Minnesota Vikings fell to the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round of the playoffs on Saturday, ending their quest to make their long-awaited return to the Super Bowl.

Such a journey will have to wait another year, but the question is, do the Vikings have it in them to make another push?

Some have questioned whether or not Minnesota's championship window is closing. Heck, before the season even started, Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated included them on a list of teams he thought were in the twilight of their runs.

Orr mentions the Vikings' aging defense as a reason for the club's potential decline, as key players such as Everson Griffen and Linval Joseph are both over 30.

But honestly, that's really where it stops and ends.

The rest of Minnesota's defense is actually pretty young. As a matter of fact, eight of its 11 defensive starters are under 30 years old. And on the other side of the ball, you have a 31-year-old Kirk Cousins and a 30-year-old Kyle Rudolph, and that's it.

Otherwise, Dalvin Cook is 24. Stefon Diggs is 26. Adam Thielen is 29. Irv Smith Jr. is 21.

Overall, this Vikings group is actually pretty young, and I don't see any reason why they won't keep contending in the years to come.

Of course, Minnesota has the Green Bay Packers to compete with in the NFC North, and while the Chicago Bears went just 8-8 this season, they could bounce back in 2020.

But there is no question that the Vikings have one of the NFL's most talented rosters, even if their offensive line could certainly use some shoring up.

Cousins also proved some doubters wrong this season, although he didn't look too great against the 49ers, and plenty will still question whether or not Minnesota can really win with him under center.

That being said, even if Cousins doesn't work out in the final year of his deal in 2020, the Vikings can explore other options. The rest of their skill positions are chock-full of talent, and the guys are mostly young, so they aren't going anywhere.

So no; I'm not seeing the window of opportunity closing for Minnesota. I just think this is a team that is a piece or two away from being incredibly scary. Obviously, if replacing Cousins is what needs to happen, that is somewhat problematic, as quarterbacks don't exactly grow on trees, but maybe the fix is a simple as repairing the offensive line?

Not that that's “simple,” but it's definitely more doable than finding another quarterback, and adding one or two good offensive linemen can change the entire unit.

There is a lot to like about the Vikings moving forward. Their running game is terrific, their receiving corps is among the league's best and their defense remains very good.

Minnesota's season may have come to a disappointing conclusion in the Bay, but there are unquestionably reasons to believe that the Vikings are going to be serious contenders in the NFC in 2020 and the years beyond. But let's start with making the playoffs in back-to-back years, something Minnesota hasn't done since 2009.