The 2022 season for the Minnesota Vikings was one for the ages. Multiple fourth-quarter comebacks, including the largest comeback in NFL history, going undefeated and a perfect 11-0 in one-score games. It was to a point where even Mike Florio couldn’t help but call them a “team of destiny.”
But after an anti-climactic early postseason loss to the New York Giants, Minnesota finds themselves back in the not-so-good graces of the national media.
USA Today’s Nate Davis put out his record projections for all 32 teams in the NFL. In the NFC North, there was one clear winner: the Detroit Lions. They are projected to take the division handily with an 11-6 record. The Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers and Vikings were all fighting for second place with seven wins a piece.
“They won the division last year with a glittering 13-4 record, however a regression to the mean appears especially inevitable for a crew that was somehow outscored overall during the 2022 season – its average margin of defeat 22.3 points. Since then, RB Dalvin Cook, WR Adam Thielen, LB Eric Kendricks and OLB Za’Darius Smith were among those purged. The Vikes should still be able to score at a good clip, but new DC Brian Flores, in particular, has his work cut out for him.”
Asking this team to win 13 games again is a tall task. However, seven wins feel like underselling the talent of this team and not just from an offensive standpoint.
The addition of Brian Flores alone raises the ceiling for this defense. Then, pair that defensive improvement with an offense that acquired more firepower for their electric passing attack and that gives the Vikings a solid foundation. All this makes seven wins feel more like a condemnation, not a simple regression.
