The Minnesota Vikings had a disappointing 2018 season, but NFL.com analyst Bucky Brooks thinks this year they can turn it around as a sleeper. Brooks put out his five sleeper teams and included on the list are the Vikings.

Brooks points out that that quarterback Kirk Cousins should be able to take a step forward this year under Kevin Stefanski and Gary Kubiak.

“Don’t let a disappointing 2018 campaign overshadow the potential of the sleeping giant residing in the Twin Cities. While there was plenty of hate spewed in Kirk Cousins’ direction for the way things turned out in his first season after signing a blockbuster deal, the Vikings should feel good about his chances of performing like a top-10 quarterback in an offense being overseen by [Offensive Coordinator] Kevin Stefanski and [Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Advisor] Gary Kubiak. With Dalvin Cook healthy and ready to add sizzle to the running game as a stretch (outside zone) runner, Cousins could terrorize opponents with timely dimes to Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs.

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Since Zimmer has taken over, the defense has really not been a concern, and this year they should be good again led by Danielle Hunter, Everson Griffen, Anthony Barr, Eric Kendricks, Harrison Smith, and Xavier Rhodes and others.

The one big concern last year on offense was the performance of the offensive line, and if there can be an improvement with the work up front, maybe Brooks is right. This team could be one of the sleepers in the NFL, with an actual chance of making a Super Bowl run.