CBS Sports Predicts 2021 Vikings Worse Than 2020 Team
Predictions for the 2021 NFL season are rolling in as the regular season kicks off Thursday night in Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers host the Dallas Cowboys.
The Minnesota Vikings will square off against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, holding a 3.5-point favoritism advantage based on sportsbook odds. While Minnesota might win that contest — the Bengals are not slated for a robust, playoff-contending campaign — some experts do not foresee the Vikings as a playoff team.
For example, CBS Sports offered win-loss predictions for every team, organizing the forecast in a division-by-division format. For the NFC North section, the Green Bay Packers are prognosticated to win the division with a 12-5 record — and reach the Super Bowl — whereas Minnesota blunders its way to a 7-10 record, a slight step back from the disappointing 2020 season.
John Breech of CBS Sports said about the division:
“The Aaron Rodgers revenge tour has started. I’m not even sure who he’s trying to get revenge on at this point, but I can assure you that no one is safe. Rodgers seems to play better when there’s drama and there was a lot of drama surrounding him this offseason, which I’m pretty sure is going to translate into a Packers Super Bowl appearance. This team has been on the doorstep of the Super Bowl in each of the past two seasons and I think this is the year where they finally knock down the door, set the house on fire and actually make it to the NFL’s final game.”
This is the worst-case scenario imaginable. The Vikings would, in theory, again mire in mediocrity, signaling full-scale change within the organization — likely affecting the head coach, quarterback, and maybe even the general manager.
Minnesota has not witnessed a Packers Super Bowl appearance for a full decade. But if Breech is correct, Aaron Rodgers would receive at least one more crack at February football before he either retires or departs for a non-Green Bay destination.
Oddsmakers believe the Vikings will win somewhere in the 8-9 games region, situating Minnesota in the same category as teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals. A 7-10 finish would obviously fall short of the gambling prognosis, a full five games behind the division-winning Packers.
If it’s any consolation, the Vikings did finish in second place in the NFC North per Breech, ousting the Chicago Bears (7-10) and the rebuilding Detroit Lions (2-15).
Minnesota possesses all the roster tools to avoid a 7-10 finish, however. In the offseason, general manager Rick Spielman added notable defensive personnel like Patrick Peterson, Dalvin Tomlinson, Sheldon Richardson, Xavier Woods, and Bashaud Breeland.
Should the 2021 season result in the 7-10 ballpark, the Vikings already have a quarterback for the job in case of a rebuild — Kellen Mond. The signal-caller was drafted in the 3rd Round of the 2021 NFL Draft from Texas A&M. And in all likelihood, Mond would encounter the tutelage of a new head coach because 7-10 would fall below the standard ensuring Mike Zimmer’s 2022 employment in Minnesota.
A final note: Breech picked the Packers to topple the Buffalo Bills in the Super Bowl, a nightmarish ordeal.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday along with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).