The Minnesota Vikings are entering Year 6 with Kirk Cousins at quarterback. The team has not approached him yet about extending his deal, which ends at the conclusion of this season. For the fourth time in his NFL career, he enters the last year of a deal. Last year, he led the Vikings to an NFC North crown and a 13-4 record. It would have been interesting if the Vikings had taken a quarterback early in last week’s draft, but they waited until the fifth round and took Jaren Hall, more of a developmental project than a likely franchise starter, out of BYU. Overall, their draft was seen as decent, as they got cornerback Mekhi Blackmon and defensive tackle Jaquelin Roy to bolster the defense and wide receiver Jordan Addison out of USC to give Cousins another target down the field. As you start to ponder your NFL betting for this fall’s NFL season, look at our breakdown of the Vikings’ opponents.
NFL Betting News: 2023 Opponent Analysis – Minnesota Vikings
Home Games: Chicago, Detroit, Green Bay, New Orleans, Tampa Bay, Kansas City, L.A. Chargers, San Francisco
Road Games: Chicago, Detroit, Green Bay, Atlanta, Carolina, Denver, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Cincinnati
Let’s look at the Vikings’ divisional opponents first. The Chicago Bears have an exciting future with quarterback Justin Fields but are still in the process of assembling a competitive roster around him. Green Bay still has an underrated defense, but the Packers haven’t replaced Allen Lazard or Randall Cobb, so we don’t know who Jordan Love will throw the ball to. The Lions finished the 2022 season with eight wins in their last ten games, but their front office spent the draft frittering away the positive momentum of that finish.
The Vikings also play the NFC South. Atlanta has a second-year quarterback in Desmond Ridder as well as Texas Longhorns product Bijan Robinson at tailback, so the offense should be able to run the ball, but what about the passing game? Tampa Bay has Baker Mayfield at quarterback now. He should be able to hit those terrific wide receivers in stride, but who will carry the ball? New Orleans has a new gunslinger in Derek Carr, but the downside of this is all the interceptions he might throw. Then there’s Carolina, a team with Bryce Young at quarterback, but largely devoid of talent at the wide receiver position.
Then there’s the AFC West opposition. Denver is entering Year 2 of the Russell Wilson experiment, and Sean Payton is taking over as head coach. Kansas City returns as one of the dominant teams as the legendary Patrick Mahomes looks for a fourth trip to the Super Bowl in five seasons. Las Vegas has Jimmy Garoppolo at quarterback, perhaps a sign that they want a steadier offense. Then there are the Chargers, who pushed the Chiefs hard in the division last year but suffered from a few too many bold gambles by Justin Herbert.
Based on their finish in the division, the Vikings play Cincinnati, San Francisco and Philadelphia. These could easily be three losses, as the Bengals have an offense that is even more productive than the Vikings’. The other two teams have defenses that are better than Minnesota – and offenses that might be just as good.
I see the Vikings going 4-2 in the division, splitting with the Lions and the Packers. In the NFC South game, I see them going 3-1, losing to Tampa Bay. In the AFC West, I see them going 2-2, losing to the Chargers and the Chiefs. I see them going 0-3 in those divisional finish games to finish with a 9-8 record and a wild card.
Bet on the Vikings to Win NFC Championship!
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