Vikings Bedfellows with Chargers, Saints for Super Bowl Odds
Dustin Baker
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The Minnesota Vikings and all other NFL teams are three weekends away from regular-season football. The Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers will kick off festivities on Thursday Night Football at 8:20pm EST on September 9th.
Early in the offseason, the Vikings began adjusting the coaching staff. Klint Kubiak replaced his retiring father, Gary, as offensive coordinator — a move to promote offensive continuity. Keenan McCardell was hired as wide receivers coach. Ryan Ficken got the gig for special teams. And then Phil Rauscher replaced Rick Dennison as offensive line coach. Dennison pivots to an advisor-like role for the team.
In addition, general manager Rick Spielman added a bounty of new faces via free agency. Most of the men play defense, although Dede Westbrook snuck in near the end to potentially play WR3 this September. Here’s the free-agent haul:
- Mackensie Alexander (CB)
- Bashaud Breeland (CB)
- Amari Henderson (CB)
- Parry Nickerson (CB)
- Patrick Peterson (CB)
- Sheldon Richardson (DT)
- Tye Smith (CB)
- Dalvin Tomlinson (DT)
- Nick Vigil (LB)
- Stephen Weatherly (DE)
- Dede Westbrook (WR)
- Xavier Woods (S)
Henderson was since waived.
The 2021 NFL Draft was predominantly an offensive affair, at least for the notable players drafted in Rounds One through Three:
R1, Pick #23 – Christian Darrisaw, OT, Virginia Tech
R3, Pick #66 – Kellen Mond, QB, Texas A&M
R3, Pick #78 – Chazz Surratt, LB, North Carolina
R3, Pick #86 – Wyatt Davis, G, Ohio State
R3, Pick #90 – Patrick Jones II, DE, Pittsburgh
R4, Pick #119 – Kene Nwangwu, RB, Iowa State
R4, Pick #125 – Camryn Bynum, S, California-Berkeley
R4, Pick #134 – Janarius Robinson, DE, Florida State
R5, Pick #157 – Ihmir Smith-Marsette, WR, Iowa
R5, Pick #168 – Zach Davidson, TE, Central Missouri
R6, Pick #199 – Jalen Twyman, DT, Pittsburgh
And that’s the squad that head coach Mike Zimmer will lead into his eighth season as Vikings skipper. Per BetOnline, the Vikings have the same odds (+3500) to win Super Bowl LVI as:
- Indianapolis Colts
- Los Angeles Chargers
- Miami Dolphins
- New Orleans Saints
So, if you’re trying to understand “just how good are these Vikings,” a safe assumption is “in the conversation of the Chargers and Saints” for an upside. If a bettor placed $100 on any of the aforementioned five teams to win the Super Bowl in February, $3,500 would be the payout.
The Chargers are an upstart team, led by 2020 Offensive Rookie of the Year Justin Herbert. He’ll play pitch and catch with Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, and Austin Ekeler this season. Los Angeles finished the 2020 campaign 7-9 – the same record as the Vikings – with tremendous enthusiasm for the future. If Herbert avoids a sophomore slump, Los Angeles hopes to wiggle into the postseason amid a crowded AFC field.
Question marks surround the Saints and Colts. Either Jameis Winston (who was an actual joke two years ago) or Taysom Hill will conduct post-Brees affairs at quarterback. The Saints 2021 season will be a referendum on Sean Payton’s coaching acumen without Brees. Payton always had Brees at his disposal, but now it is a new era.
The Colts are mired by injury hell before the season even begins. Carson Wentz might be ready in time for Week 1. Quenton Nelson might be ready, as well. But that’s a lot of mights for an otherwise well-run organization.
And then who knows how the Dolphins snuck into the club with the Vikings, Chargers, Colts, and Saints. Miami is led by Tua Tagovailoa, who receives little fanfare from national media for expectations. If he rapidly matures, Miami could make a playoff push. Yet, it’s a big ask for Tagovailoa.
All in all, per Betonline, the Vikings are the 13th-most likely team to win the Super Bowl. The Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are unsurprisingly the frontrunners.