Madden 19: Minnesota Vikings Player Ratings, Roster, Depth Chart & Playbooks

By Toby DurantSports Group Manager

The Minnesota Vikings have never won a Super Bowl, but not for want of trying. They have made four Super Bowl but lost them all, including three between the 1973 and 1976 seasons. In recent years the Vikings have made it to two NFC title games but lost both. In 2009 they came within reach of a Super Bowl berth but Brett Favre threw and interception. In 2017 they had a miracle win against the Saints to make the NFC title game but were then routed by Philadelphia. They come into Madden 19 with a deep and talented roster and a new quarterback in Kirk Cousins, can you lead them to their first Lombardi trophy?

*All stats correct at time of writing

Team Rating

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The Minnesota Vikings are rated 81 overall in Madden 19. It's not a terrific rating, with 13 teams scoring higher, but it's not awful either. The Vikings offense gets an 81 rating, in main due to a poor offensive line and just an average quarterback, but the offense if far more playable than its rating thanks to a lot of talent at receiver and running back. The strength of the Vikings roster is on defense, where they get a huge 87 rating. Only three teams have a better defensive rating. 

Harrison Smith, Strong Safety (OVR 94)

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Age: 29

Development Trait: Superstar

Contract: 4 years/$36.07 million

2018 Cap Hit: $7.59 million

Best Stats: Pursuit (93), Play Recognition (92), Awareness (92), Hit Power (92), Zone Coverage (91), Acceleration (91)

Harrison Smith was a first-round pick for the Vikings in 2012 and immediately won his way into the starting lineup. His rookie year he picked off three passes and scored two touchdowns, which was just a taste of things to come. As Smith grew in the NFL he turned into one of the best safeties in the NFL, a brilliant tackler and rangy in coverage. He comes into Madden 19 with 17 career interceptions along with 9 sacks, 3 forced fumbles and 4 touchdowns and was named first team All-Pro in 2017.

Adam Thielen, Wide Receiver (OVR 94)

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Age: 28

Development Trait: Star

Contract: 3 years/$11.67 million

2018 Cap Hit: $3.56 million

Best Stats: Catching (96), Spectacular Catch (96), Catch In Traffic (95), Short Route (95), Medium Route (95), Release (94), Acceleration (93)

Adam Thielen was never meant to be an NFL player. He went undrafted in 2013 and one came to the Vikings as a free agent because he had gone to school in the state and was invited to a rookie tryout session. He was a bit-part player for the first three years, making just 20 catches in total, but his ability was improving every season, and in 2016 he became a key piece of the offense, making 69 catches for 967 yards and 5 touchdowns. In 2017 he took another step forward and became one of the most impressive receivers in the NFL. He made 91 catches for 1,276 yards and four scores, displaying amazingly precise route-running along with excellent athleticism. He comes into Madden 19 as a deadly player, and with Stefon Diggs makes one of the best receiver pairings in the NFL

Everson Griffen, Defensive End (OVR 90)

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Age: 30

Development Trait: Star

Contract: 5 years/$48.5 million

2018 Cap Hit: $9.4 million

Best Stats: Power Moves (91), Play Recognition (88), Awareness (88), Acceleration (87), Tackle (86), Strength (85)

Everson Griffen was a fourth-round pick for the Vikings in 2010. He didn’t start a game for the Vikings until 2012, and even then it was just one four the first four years of his career. However, being a slow-starter didn’t stop really hamper Griffen. Minnesota continued to invest time into him and after solid pass-rushing results as a role player, in 2014 he started every game and registered 12 sacks. From then on Griffen was one of the most consistent pass rushers around. In the last 4 years he has picked up 43.5 sacks, 49 tackles for loss, and 101 QB hits.

Kirk Cousins, Quarterback (OVR 84)

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Age: 30

Development Trait: Quick

Contract: 3 years/$79.5 million

2018 Cap Hit: $26.1 million

Best Stats: Play Action (94), Throw Power (92), Short Accuracy (90), Throw Under Pressure (90), Awareness (86)

Kirk Cousins was fourth-round pick for the Washington Redskins in 2012. He was never meant to be their starter as the Redskins took Robert griffin III second overall that year too. However, as injuries and poor play hampered griffin, Cousins got his chance. He took over the starting job in 2015, completing 70 percent of his passes for 4,166 yards and 29 touchdowns. Cousins was impressive in his three years as the Redskins starter, but Washington were loath to commit to him, and after 13,000 yards and 81 touchdowns he moved to Minnesota as a free agent before the 2018 season.

Full Roster & Depth Chart

QB
OVR
Speed
Throw Power
Short Accuracy
Medium Accuracy
Deep Accuracy
Throw Under Pressure
Play Action
Kirk Cousins
84
78
92
90
84
81
90
94
Trevor Siemian
69
74
87
82
77
75
80
80
Kyle Sloter
65
79
91
79
76
76
69
71
HB
OVR
Speed
Agility
Elusiveness
Carrying
Juke Move
Catching
Dalvin Cook
85
91
93
87
86
87
68
Latavius Murray
80
91
89
75
88
86
66
Ameer Abdullah
76
89
90
79
81
91
66
Mike Boone
70
90
86
76
86
82
67
FB
OVR
Speed
Strength
Carrying
Pass Block
Run Block
Lead Block
Impact Block
CJ Ham
71
83
77
79
72
56
73
51
WR
OVR
Speed
Agility
Catching
Short Route
Medium Route
Deep Route
Catch In Traffic
Spectacular Catch
Release
Jumping
Adam Thielen
94
90
93
96
95
95
89
95
96
94
91
Stefon Diggs
93
91
93
97
92
92
89
91
95
87
89
Aldrick Robinson
74
91
93
80
77
78
83
75
75
58
87
Laquon Treadwell
73
87
87
81
76
74
70
80
80
71
94
Chad Beebe
64
86
86
80
72
66
63
77
77
57
79
Brandon Zylstra
64
85
83
79
69
71
68
78
78
70
82
TE
OVR
Speed
Agility
Catching
Short Route
Medium Route
Deep Route
Run Block
Kyle Rudolph
86
77
81
96
81
78
71
57
David Morgan II
72
72
74
79
62
59
54
66
Tyler Conklin
69
79
78
78
64
62
64
55
Kevin McDermott
51
72
70
60
50
45
40
53
OL
OVR
Speed
Strength
Pass Block
Run Block
Lead Block
Impact Block
Pat Elflein
75
62
88
76
77
79
81
Mike Remmers
74
66
85
75
76
74
76
Brian O'Neill
74
79
82
76
78
84
82
Riley Reiff
72
65
85
75
75
84
83
Tom Compton
72
70
90
73
77
78
80
Nick Easton
71
68
82
73
75
76
75
Brett Jones
71
68
84
80
73
78
77
Aviante Collins
69
78
86
73
77
80
79
Danny Isidora
68
72
85
72
71
80
81
Rashod Hill
68
62
78
72
74
82
81
DE
OVR
Speed
Agility
Power Moves
Finesse Moves
Block Shedding
Everson Griffen
90
83
80
91
83
83
Danielle Hunter
87
88
85
77
87
85
Stephen Weatherly
73
82
77
65
76
67
Tashawn Bower
68
79
75
76
65
73
Ade Aruna
67
84
75
67
72
72
Hercules Mata'afa
64
80
77
63
67
70
DT
OVR
Speed
Strength
Power Moves
Finesse Moves
Block Shedding
Impact Block
Linval Joseph
89
76
98
82
57
90
92
Sheldon Richardson
86
71
88
86
73
80
90
Tom Johnson
73
60
80
79
66
77
87
Jaleel Johnson
71
66
82
75
68
76
77
Jalyn Holmes
70
78
87
74
66
76
85
OLB
OVR
Speed
Agility
Tackle
Hit Power
Play Recognition
Pursuit
Man Coverage
Zone Coverage
Anthony Barr
84
87
89
86
86
86
86
65
73
Ben gedeon
77
81
78
80
84
75
84
57
64
Eric Wilson
68
86
85
81
72
56
79
58
64
MLB
OVR
Speed
Agility
Tackle
Hit Power
Play Recognition
Pursuit
Man Coverage
Zone Coverage
Eric Kendrick
80
85
82
81
85
88
84
65
77
Kentrell Brothers
67
78
79
85
81
58
77
61
70
Devante Downs
65
78
80
82
76
58
81
57
66
CB
OVR
Speed
Acceleration
Agility
Man Coverage
Zone Coverage
Press
Xavier Rhodes
88
81
80
90
87
85
95
Trae Waynes
79
84
83
86
78
76
80
Mike Hughes
74
89
81
94
81
75
82
Mackensie Alexander
74
90
81
90
75
70
80
Holton Hill
73
89
80
88
76
73
75
Marcus Sherels
69
89
84
93
70
67
64
Craig James
65
89
89
87
72
69
72
FS
OVR
Speed
Acceleration
Agility
Play Recognition
Man Coverage
Zone Coverage
Andrew Sendejo
83
83
88
85
85
71
83
Anthony Harris
74
87
89
88
78
68
74
George Iloka
74
85
89
87
74
70
74
SS
OVR
Speed
Acceleration
Tackle
Play Recognition
Man Coverage
Zone Coverage
Harrison Smith
94
87
91
80
92
80
91
Jayron Kearse
65
85
88
69
60
59
69
ST
OVR
Kick Power
Kick Accuracy
Dan Bailey (K)
77
92
83
Matt Wile (P)
76
92
81

The Vikings team may not rate that highly, but their roster is full of talent. On offense Kirk Cousins (94 play action, 92 throw power) is a solid quarterback and he has a ton of weapons around him. Running back Dalvin Cook (91 speed, 89 break tackle) is good, and at receiver the pair of Adam Thielen (96 catching, 95 short route) and Stefon Diggs (97 catching, 92 short route) are perhaps the best wide receiver duo in Madden 19. It doesn't stop there either, with Kyle Rudolph (96 catching, 81 short route) providing a serious threat from tight end. Where the Vikings offense does struggle is on the offensive line, but if you can get the ball out of Cousins' hands quickly then this is an offense that can keep the scoreboard moving.

Defensively there are several impressive players at every level. On the defensive line you get edge pressure from Everson Griffen (91 power moves, 88 awareness) and Danielle Hunter (90 acceleration, 87 finesse moves) while Linval Joseph (98 strength, 90 block shedding) and Sheldon Richardson (86 power moves, 84 acceleration) eat up space inside. At linebacker Anthony Barr (87 speed, 86 tackle) and Eric Kendricks (90 acceleration, 81 tackle) can cover every blade of grass and make all the tackles.

In the secondary Xavier Rhodes (87 man coverage, 85 zone coverage) is an excellent shutdown corner and there is youthful potential in Mike Hughes (81 man coverage, 75 zone coverage), Mackensie Alexander (90 speed, 75 man coverage), and Holton Hill (89 speed, 76 man coverage), while Harrison Smith (92 play recognition, 91 zone coverage) is one of the best strong safeties in Madden 19.

Minnesota Vikings Playbook - Offense

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I Form Pro

I Form Slot Flex

I Form Twin TE

Strong I Pro

Strong I Wing

Weak I Pro

Weak I Wing

Near Jumbo

Singleback Ace

Singleback Ace Pair

Singleback Ace Slot

Singleback Bunch Ace

Singleback Deuce Close

Singleback Dice Slot

Singleback Wing Pair

Singleback Wing Slot

Singleback Wing Tight

Pistol Ace U Off

Pistol Strong

Shotgun Ace Offset

Shotgun Bunch

Shotgun Doubles Offset

Shotgun Doubles Offset Wk

Shotgun Doubles Y Off Wk

Shotgun Doubles Y-Flex Offset

Shotgun Eagle Trey

Shotgun Empty Base Flex

Shotgun Empty Bunch Wide

Shotgun Split Panther

Shotgun Stack Y Off Wk

Shotgun Trey

Shotgun Trey Y-Flex

Shotgun Y Off Trips Wk

Shotgun Y Trips Wk

Wildcat Trips Over

The Vikings offensive playbook has more unique looks than most. It has a bonus couple of Wildcat plays and the Near formation, a tight, heavy, set that is good for short yardage situations. Along with all that you get the usual blend of singleback and shotgun sets. The Vikings have Deuce Close which is always good, and Shotgun Trey Y-Flex which is a personal favorite. Shotgun Empty Bunch Wide is a really nice empty set that forces safeties to declare their coverage early, and Shotgun Split Panther is a nice misdirection formation.

Minnesota Vikings Playbook - Defense

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4-3 Normal

4-3 Over

4-3 Over Plus

4-3 Under

4-3 Wide 9

46 Normal

Nickel Normal

Nickel Double A Gap

Nickel 3-3-5 Wide

Nickel Wide 9

Big Nickel Over G

Dime Normal

Quarter Normal

Quarter 3 Deep

Goal Line Defense 5-3-3

Goal Line Defense 5-4-2

The Vikings defensive playbook is a pretty standard 4-3 playbook. You do get a 46 Normal formation to load the box and a very nice Nickel 3-3-5 Wide formation that can mix pressure and coverage really well. Otherwise it is pretty standard though, which is a little disappointing given Mike Zimmer's status as a defensive minded head coach.



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