Minnesota Vikings Insider Predicts Playoff Victory

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Sam Darnold, Minnesota Vikings
Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

When the season started the Minnesota Vikings were pegged for a hilariously low win total. Sure, they had a significant amount of roster turnover, and changing the quarterback was always going to be a process. They have quickly made a mockery of those projections though, and late-season belief is starting to mount.

How much winning do the Minnesota Vikings have in them?

Through the first eight games of their season the Minnesota Vikings have six wins. They started undefeated through five games, and rebounded after dropping a couple to great offenses. This weekend against Jacksonville the Vikings could surpass their preseason projected win total. They will get a chance to do so while facing another backup quarterback. It’s time to adjust expectations, and The Athletic’s Alec Lewis is putting his neck on the line.

“Minnesota’s next six games are against the Jaguars, Titans, Bears, Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons and Bears. All are winnable. Using DVOA, a metric that accounts for strength of schedule, the Vikings rate higher than all six opponents. Win a handful of those games and they’ll creep closer to that total of 11. A playoff game would almost certainly follow, and the combination of Jefferson and a one-off Flores game plan would give the Vikings a solid chance at a victory.”

Alec Lewis on the Vikings win total (The Athletic)

It’s hard to see how Minnesota wouldn’t reach double-digit wins at this point. They performed admirably against a much more difficult slate to start, and there are some bottom-feeders left to feast on. 11 wins would mean Minnesota finished 5-4 in their final nine games. That would seem to be something of a letdown given the competition, so suggesting even more may not be a wild reality.

Related: 4 Bold Predictions for Minnesota Vikings’ Week 10 Matchup vs Jaguars

Kevin O’Connell looks primed to be the NFL Coach of the Year for the first time in his career. How well he can set his team up the rest of the way will continue to stack the deck in his favor. We have seen an exceptional ability to gameplan thus far, and knocking off an opponent in the postseason is something he seems poised to do this year. O’Connell has kept the opposition on their toes, and he can do that in a big way in the form of a playoff victory.

Related: Vikings’ Rookie QB Not a Lock to Start in 2025?

An 11-win, or more, season wasn’t supposed to be in the cards for Minnesota. They have continued to show up on a weekly basis, and betting against them rising above at this point seems foolish.

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