The Vikings Are the Unluckiest Team in the NFL, and You’ll Never Guess Who’s the Luckiest
In 2022, the Minnesota Vikings and their 13-4 record were often discredited because of their extraordinary luck.
Matchups like those against the Buffalo Bills and Indianapolis Colts come to mind where a huge number of the bounces went Minnesota’s way, allowing them to pull off improbable victories. Now, though, that luck has completely flipped. Coming into Week 12, the Vikings now stand as the unluckiest team in football, and it isn’t particularly close.
The Vikings Are the Unluckiest Team in the NFL
Tom Bliss is a data scientist for the NFL, and every year, he puts together the win probability added for each team via luck. This statistic comes about by adding up dropped interceptions and passes by opponents, field goals and extra points attempted by opponents, and fumble recoveries by either team. The results of these plays are added up to determine how likely or unlikely teams are to win because of them.
Based on this stat through Week 11, the Vikings are not only the unluckiest team at -195.7%, but they are nearly twice as unlikely as every other team in the league. The Chicago Bears are the next unluckiest team at -100.2%.
Take a look at the full list of teams:
Making matters worse for the Vikings and their fanbase, you’ll notice that not only are the Vikings the most unlucky team in the league, but the hated Green Bay Packers are the luckiest. It’s a bit humorous, though, that even with all their luck, the Packers still only sat with a 4-6 record heading into the Thanksgiving weekend.
Regardless, this statistic is yet another credit to the Vikings resiliency during the 2023 season. Even with seemingly every bounce going against them this season, Minnesota sits at 6-5, and they hold a strong spot in the playoffs.
Maybe things will start bouncing Minnesota’s way against the Bears this Monday night.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.