Vikings reporter Ben Goessling stays with his preseason prediction at the midway point of the season:

Preseason prediction: 7-9

Revised prediction: 7-9

The Vikings will benefit from a favorable second-half schedule that includes four games against teams with losing records: two against the Bears, one against the Jets and one against the Panthers. We haven’t seen enough consistency from the Vikings yet to assume they can take advantage of that schedule enough to go on a playoff run, but they should be able to beat several of the low-end teams and finish 1½ games better than last season. This could all change, of course, if the Vikings get Adrian Peterson back on the field. Peterson had been working out during his time away from the team, and anyone who knows anything about him knows he will be motivated to prove people wrong if he returns this season. Even if the Vikings don’t make a postseason push in the second half, the long-term significance of the season will be dictated by the development of rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. The defense has shown marked improvement during the first half of the season, and if the offense can develop some consistency with Bridgewater, they’ll have reason to be excited about their prospects for 2015.