The NFL Trade Deadline has come and gone, and the Minnesota Vikings failed to make a move. Unfortunately, the only transaction that took place was moving Danielle Hunter to the Injured Reserve. That’s just another domino to an already disappointing season.

The Vikings are 3-4 ahead of their Week 9 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens, who will likely have their way against Minnesota. Lamar Jackson will likely pick apart Bashaud Breeland and Cameron Dantzler, and it’s going to be hard to contain him without Hunter.

Before diving into the trade deadline and the impact of losing Hunter, let’s look at the upcoming three games.

• Week 9: Baltimore Ravens

• Week 10: Los Angeles Chargers

• Week 11: Green Bay Packers

Realistically, Minnesota maybe squeezes out one win. But if we’re being honest, they could easily be entering Week 12 with a 3-7 record. Minnesota still has to play the Packers twice and will have a date with the Los Angeles Rams on Dec. 26.

The Vikings are in the hunt to claim the final Wild Card spot, but the season is starting to look like a lost cause.

You have to feel for Hunter, who’s only played in seven games since 2019. Before the injury, Hunter was reigning hell on his opponents, recording six sacks, which is tied for 10th in the NFL.

Minnesota will have to rely heavily on Everson Griffen and D.J. Wonnum. Wonnum is an interesting player because he has the physical profile of being a dominant edge rusher. Time will tell, but this is shaping up to be a defining season for the former South Carolina Gamecock.

If Minnesota were to have beaten the Cowboys, they would have probably been more aggressive at the trade deadline. The Vikings not making any moves is wise because you have to be realistic about your chances and the schedule.

Would adding Xavien Howard really have turned the season around? No.

The Vikings have 10 draft picks, but could potentially have 11 depending on what happens with the Baltimore fifth-round pick (Yannick Ngakou trade).

The Vikings could have easily traded a few of their late picks for a guy on an expiring deal, but they didn’t. The only case you can make for the Purple and Gold was that it was a relatively quiet deadline for most teams.

Regardless, the Vikings are 3-4, they lost their best defensive player and failed to make any moves at the trade deadline. There’s plenty of time left, but these next three weeks will shape whether or not their season is over.