The 2023 National Football League season is over for the Minnesota Vikings and now it’s time to reflect on what was and what could have been.
The Vikings had quite the roller coaster ride this season. After starting 1-4, they lost wide receiver Justin Jefferson and went on a five-game winning streak and won six out of their next eight games. They ultimately lost their final four to finish the season 7-10.
As we reflect back on the season that was for the Vikings, we as a staff took a look at it in multiple ways by handing out awards in different categories.
Here are the awards for the biggest surprise performance.
Managing editor Tyler Forness: Josh Dobbs mania
The 2023 season for the Vikings was a wild one but nothing was more wild than what happened the weeks after Kirk Cousins’ torn Achilles tendon. Just two days later, the Vikings made the trade for Dobbs and he had a Linsanity run. He found a way to lead the Vikings to victory against the Atlanta Falcons just five days after the team acquired him and had the entire NFL world ablaze. That continued through his first start where he beat the New Orleans Saints but it ended there. Despite not being able to continue that fantastic run, it will always be a fun piece of Vikings history.
Columnist Judd Zulgad: S Josh Metellus
The 2020 sixth-round pick from Michigan became one of the most important players in coordinator Brian Flores’ defense. Metellus is listed as a safety, but he was much more than that. He played just about everywhere on defense – a graphic on a late-season telecast showed he had played in 12, yes 12, different spots – and started all 17 games. Metellus, whose previous high was three starts in 2022, was picked by Flores early on to be the Vikings’ Mr. Everything and began doing so in offseason workouts. The Vikings rewarded Metellus with a two-year extension worth up to $13 million in September but it appears that’s going to have proven to be a bargain.
Columnist Saivion Mixson: ILB Ivan Pace Jr.
I’m still unsure what the bigger surprise should be: the ease that Pace played in Flores’ scheme or how Pace fell out of the draft to become an undrafted free agent. Pace finished the season with 102 total tackles (63 solo), two tackles for loss, nine quarterback hits (fifth among rookie LBs with 100+ tackles since 1987), 2.5 sacks, two pass deflections, a forced fumble and an interception. Flores trusted the rookie to the point to where when Jordan Hicks was unable to play after developing compartment syndrome during the Saints, Pace was the green dot. His versatility made him the ultimate weapon with Flores. He was deployed in a number of ways, from rushing the quarterback to stuffing run fits to clogging passing lanes.
Columnist Chris Spooner: S Camryn Bynum
A number of guys flourished under the tutelage of Brian Flores, but none did so more than safety Camryn Bynum. The defense was only able to be so multiple, versatile, and pressure-heavy as it was because of good coverage on the back end, and that all starts with Bynum. Bynum had a career year for Flores in 2023, far exceeding his previous career highs in tackles, assists, and passes defended. He also tied his career high in interceptions, and was named to his first Pro Bowl of his young career and finished as the 20th graded safety by PFF.
