Vikings playing in Super Bowl in own backyard? It's not out of the question

One year from Saturday, on Feb. 4, 2018, the translucent roof at U.S. Bank Stadium will be reverberating and the flash of cameras will reflect off the venue's giant glass doors during the opening kickoff of Super Bowl LII.

Is there any chance a Vikings player will be waiting to catch that kickoff?

No team ever has played in a Super Bowl in its home stadium, in part because the teams that call South Beach and Bourbon Street home have not built consistent contenders in recent years, Los Angeles did not have a team for two decades, and because holding the big game in New England or Pittsburgh or, gasp, Green Bay in the middle of winter is a hard sell.

Mostly, though, that factoid probably can be chalked up to coincidence.

The Vikings over the next year will get an opportunity to buck the trend. The decisions that coach Mike Zimmer, General Manager Rick Spielman and the team's front office make in the next three months will be pivotal as they try to pick up the pieces of one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history and assemble a team capable of going all the way.

In the days leading up to their loss at Lambeau Field last month, the beatdown that eliminated the Vikings from playoff contention, Zimmer admitted his team had taken a step back from 2015, when it was a 27-yard kick away from advancing to the NFL's Elite Eight.

The rash of injuries to seemingly every offensive tackle within a 200-mile radius, the surprising resignation of offensive coordinator Norv Turner, the head coach missing a game because of emergency eye surgery, and the rest of the drama all factored into the Vikings going from 5-0 to .500. But the reality is that the talented group that was left standing underachieved, too.

The Vikings have a lot of work to do. But making next year's Super Bowl at U.S. Bank Stadium a home game is within the realm of possibilities.

You probably don't need to be told that the work needs to start up front.

After the offensive line underperformed in Zimmer's first three seasons as head coach, in part because Spielman and the Vikings have selected only two offensive linemen in the first three rounds of the draft since 2007, the Vikings must devote significant resources to fixing their front five.

With three spots up front in need of an upgrade, building a rock-solid offensive line in one offseason will not be easy. But it can be done.

Ideally, the Vikings will entice a capable veteran left tackle such as Andrew Whitworth, who worked with Zimmer in Cincinnati, to come to Minnesota to chase a title, giving the Vikings a needed stopgap at a key position. If they can't do that, they might have to bring back Matt Kalil, who has disappointed but is still much better than T.J. Clemmings, on a prove-it deal.

The Vikings also will look to the draft to find a young running back to pair with Jerick McKinnon in the event that they are unable to agree to terms on a restructured contract with franchise icon Adrian Peterson. Considering that he is coming off a major knee injury and will turn 32 in March, no one would fault the Vikings for parting ways with the 2012 NFL MVP.

Giving new play-caller Pat Shurmur an improved offensive line, a young between-the-tackles runner with life in his legs and a full offseason to craft a coherent scheme should lead to significant improvement for a unit that ranked in the bottom six in yards in all three years under Zimmer.

With this stacked defense, an average offense might be good enough. But that's not to say that some tweaking doesn't need to be done on D.

As good as the pass rush was last season, with Everson Griffen and Danielle Hunter flying off the edges, it might be great if Zimmer gets a penetrating defensive tackle such as Geno Atkins, whom he helped develop into a star in Cincinnati. Former first-round pick Sharrif Floyd was supposed to be that guy, but he could be released after another injury-riddled season.

The Vikings also will have to bolster their depth at cornerback, because a pair of older starters in Captain Munnerlyn and Terence Newman are set to become free agents. They may need to add a linebacker, too, with Chad Greenway expected to announce his retirement in the coming weeks.

Despite all the suggestions found in this newspaper, which Zimmer and Spielman surely will use to swat flies in their respective offices, the key to the Vikings becoming Super Bowl-caliber is improvement from within.

Bradford must build on his career season. Hunter probably will need to continue his ascension. Outside linebacker Anthony Barr must regain his form from 2015. And two recent first-round picks, cornerback Trae Waynes and wide receiver Laquon Treadwell, have to live up to their promise.

Yes, a lot of ifs need to break their way. But all 32 teams enter the offseason with a long list. The Atlanta Falcons, who last season started 5-0 and then missed the playoffs, were no exception this time a year ago. Now only the New England Patriots stand in their way of a Lombardi Trophy.

If the Vikings ace the next 12 months, they can be Super Bowl-bound, too.