Vikings Fans Have High Expectations for This Year’s Playoffs
Josh Frey
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Every week, we at PurplePTSD post interactive polls to accrue thoughts from fans on a specific topic. This past week, we tossed this question out to you: how far into the playoffs do the Vikings need to go for 2022 to NOT be a disappointment?
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Options for answering this question included the following choices:
- Win Super Bowl
- Super Bowl Appearance
- NFC Championship Game
- Divisional Round
Granted, the answers to this question largely came in prior to the Vikings Week 14 loss to the Detroit Lions, so perhaps hopes have been tempered since then. However, based on the results of this poll, Vikings fans have high expectations for this year’s playoffs.
Of the 894 votes, 39.7% of fans stated that they will not be satisfied with this season’s results unless the Vikings make it to the NFC Championship Game. Another 25.1% of voters went for the whole kit-and-kaboodle saying that unless the Vikings win the Super Bowl, the first season of Kevin O’Connell’s coaching tenure will go down as a disappointment. Here’s a full breakdown of the results:
- NFC Championship Game (39.7%)
- Win Super Bowl (25.1%)
- Super Bowl Appearance (18.3%)
- Divisional Round (16.9%)
In all, the Vikings better hope that they are playing in February because a whopping 43.4% of fans are of the opinion that this season is a failure if the Vikings don’t at least make a Super Bowl appearance. Again, perhaps these expectations are lower following the loss to Detroit in which the Vikings defense got run up and down the field all afternoon.
However, they still stand at 10-3, and they have a terrific chance at being the No. 2 seed in the NFC this January. The Vikings also look like they will have a favorable home playoff game in the Wild Card round against any of the New York Giants, Seattle Seahawks, or Washington Commanders.
Currently, looking at BetOnline.ag, the Minnesota Vikings have the ninth-best odds to win the Super Bowl, sitting at +2500. The eight teams above them are likely no surprise to anyone:
- Buffalo Bills (+375)
- Philadelphia Eagles (+425)
- Kansas City Chiefs (+500)
- Dallas Cowboys (+700)
- San Francisco 49ers (+700)
- Cincinnati Bengals (+1100)
- Baltimore Ravens (+2000)
- Miami Dolphins (+2200)
Sitting right below Minnesota in the 10th spot is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who have odds of +2800, and that wraps up the top 10 teams with the best odds to win the big game.
So, with that, the question remains relevant: how far do the Vikings need to go in the playoffs in order to make 2022 a success? Has the answer changed since the Week 14 loss to the Lions? Feel free to leave answers on either Facebook or Twitter, and if you have ideas for future fan polls, throw them out there to us as well!
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing. He also earned minors in History, Human Biology, and Journalism. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys marathon training, playing video games, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. For more of his opinions, check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.