The Minnesota Vikings finished the 2021 season with an 8-9 record, which was good for second place in the NFC North, but not good enough to make the playoffs. Their struggles led to the team firing head coach Mike Zimmer and replacing him with Kevin O’Connell, who has no previous head coaching experience. With the team underachieving last season, oddsmakers aren’t very high on them, with Super Bowl 2023 predictions giving them +4000 odds to win the Super Bowl.
Minnesota averaged 25 points per game last season, which was 14th in the league. They gave up 25.1 points per game, which was 24th.
Kirk Cousins completed 66.3 percent of his passes for 4,221 yards, 33 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. Dalvin Cook led the team with 1,159 rushing yards and six touchdowns, while Justin Jefferson led the team with 1,616 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns.
On paper, the Vikings have a lot of talent on the offensive end, they just haven’t been able to realize their full potential, and they’re hoping a new voice can help lead them to the promised land.
With the team not needing to make a lot of changes offensively, the Vikings focused on improving their defense, using five of their first six picks on defensive players. They also added pass rusher Za’Darius Smith from the Green Bay Packers and former Arizona Cardinals linebacker Jordan Hicks.
Even though the Packers are the front runners to win the NFC North, the Vikings also have a good chance to win the division if their offense lives up to expectations and they’re defense is better than it was last season. With Aaron Rodgers losing his best receiver in the offseason, don’t be surprised if the Vikings win the division.
