Vegas Has the Vikings Finishing in a Familiar Spot
Josh Frey
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Caesar’s Sportsbook officially released their first team win over/under totals for the 2022 season this past week, and Vikings fans won’t be too shocked to see where Minnesota ended up. The Minnesota Vikings’ first over/under is set at a pace that is as middle-of-the-pack as it gets: 8.5. Minnesota is one of five teams set at an exactly .500 over/under. The other teams in this group are the New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins, Las Vegas Raiders, and Philadelphia Eagles.
This is a very familiar landing spot for the Minnesota Vikings over the past few years. In the Kirk Cousins era, the Vikings have a combined record of 33-31-1 since the 2018 season. They’ve become very accustomed to finishing seasons near the .500 mark.
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Despite some positivity in Minnesota surrounding the hiring of Kevin O’Connell as head coach along with notable free agency signings such as Za’Darius Smith do not seem to sway the oddsmakers. Once again, Vegas has Minnesota headed towards mediocrity, and that is the elephant in the room for the Vikings: what if all these changes result in a very similar outcome?
At the very least, the Vikings need to make the playoffs after they’ve committed to being competitive in 2022. If that doesn’t happen, some drastic changes will undoubtedly have to happen. For what it’s worth, despite an underwhelming project win total, the Vikings and Eagles are tied for the seventh-highest projection in the NFC. The conference is once again paced by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Green Bay Packers as each team retains their star QB for at least one more season.
It’s also worth noting that this will be far from the final projection of the offseason, either. The NFL Draft is just mere weeks away, and that will turn the tide for many NFL teams ahead of the 2022 season. The Vikings could be one of those teams, especially if they land a top cornerback such as Ahmad Gardner or Derek Stingley Jr. For now, though, the oddsmakers predict another rather disappointing season in Minneapolis.