Nov 3, 2019; Kansas City, MO, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Ameer Abdullah (31) celebrates after scoring during the second half against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Ex-Vikings RB from late Zimmer era says they 'underachieved like crazy'

Originally posted on Minnesota Vikings on SI
By Will Ragatz | Last updated Jul 29, 2025 1:33 PM ET

Former Vikings running back Ameer Abdullah believes the franchise "underachieved like crazy" during his time in Minnesota, he said during a recent podcast appearance.

Abdullah, who began his career with the Lions, joined the Vikings midway through the 2018 season, when the team was coming off of a trip to the NFC championship game. He was there until midway through 2021, meaning he saw most of the back half of the Mike Zimmer era.

"I'm so mad, our Minnesota teams underachieved like crazy," Abdullah said on the More Than What Made Me podcast . "I'm supposed to have at least two Super Bowls. I really am. Listen, our defenses were so unbelievable at that time. Like, prime Anthony Barr, Eric Kendricks, Everson Griffen, Danielle Hunter, Tom Johnson, Linval Joseph, Harrison Smith, Trae Waynes, Xavier Rhodes, Andrew Sendejo. I'm telling you right now, I'm so mad that we always s*** the bed when we got to the playoffs, and I honestly don't even know where to start of how it happened."

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The slightly confusing part about Abdullah's comments is that he wasn't on the 2017 team that was one win away from a Super Bowl appearance. The 2018 team finished 8-7-1 and missed the playoffs. The only playoff team Abdullah was a part of was in 2019, when the Vikings were 10-6, beat the Saints in the first round, and then fell to the 49ers in the divisional round. The 2020 and '21 teams finished below .500, resulting in the end of the Zimmer and Rick Spielman era.

But he's right about how good those defenses were. 2017 was the peak of that era, but Zimmer's defense finished third in DVOA in 2018 and fifth in 2019. They were stacked on that side of the ball from 2015-19. One of the primary issues in '18 and '19, when Abdullah was on the team, was that the offensive line wasn't nearly good enough to support Kirk Cousins, Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen, Dalvin Cook, and the rest of the team's weapons.

Those were frustrating seasons for the Vikings given the talent they had on defense, and it had to be extra frustrating as a player who experienced it firsthand. But for fans, the recent what-ifs are 1998, 2009, and 2017, not so much '18 and '19.

Abdullah finished the 2021 season with the Panthers and has spent the past three seasons with the Raiders. He's currently a free agent who may or may not end up playing an 11th season in the league.