Vikings Predicted as Upset Victims in Week 1
Dustin Baker
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The Minnesota Vikings are 3.5-point favorites by most sportsbooks to knock of the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1 of the 2021 NFL season. From top to bottom, head coach Mike Zimmer’s team has a better roster and just a few more playmakers on offense and defense. And the Vikings have not lost a Week 1 road game in six years.
But that doesn’t stop the Sporting News from rolling with the Bengals next weekend over the Vikings.
Vinnie Iyer of Sporting News predicted outcomes of all 16 games on the Week 1 docket, mixing in just one upset prediction for the slate of games. Of course, Minnesota was the one team to be nominated as upset potential.
Iyer prophesied a Bengals victory by the score of 27-24 and gave his reasoning:
“The Vikings are overrated going into the season. The Bengals are underrated. Joe Burrow should be back to lift Cincinnati in the home opener, also helping former LSU teammate Ja’Marr Chase shaky off some preseason issues. Both defenses have some talent, but there also are transitional aspects and lingering weaknesses. The Vikings will try to run often and win with Dalvin Cook, but this will turn into a sneaky shootout with Burrow spreading the field well and out-dueling Kirk Cousins.”
If this actually occurred, it would be a calamity for the Vikings. While the 2015 bunch lost a wretched Week 1 game on the road to the San Francisco 49ers, the Teddy Bridgewater-led team rebounded aptly and eventually won the division. But this year is different. Why? The Vikings have a gruesome schedule, ranking fifth-most difficult in the NFL based on 2020 wins and losses.
With that in mind, Minnesota’s Week 1 trip is close to a must-win if the team is serious about the playoffs and/or a Super Bowl. After the Bengals, the Vikings play the Arizona Cardinals. Seattle Seahawks, and Cleveland Browns before a usually-easy date with the Detroit Lions. Minnesota must exit Week 4 at home versus the Browns with at least a 2-2 record if it realistically wants to contend for the NFC North. A loss to the Bengals would signal a season more akin to 2020, which ended in total disappointment.
Ultimately, this is just one entity’s (guy, even) opinion. Most other predictions forecast a win by the Vikings, often in the 7-10 point range.
Several cool storylines accompany the Vikings to Cincinnati next weekend. The Vikings face their former left tackle Riley Reiff who bolted to Cincinnati in free agency. Mike Zimmer will face Trae Waynes, a player he drafted in 2015, for the first time. The Bengals quarterback is Joe Burrow — he was teammates with Justin Jefferson at LSU. Zimmer will coach in Cincinnati for the first time as a head coach, a place that he defensively coordinated for six years. Now back on the Vikings, cornerback Mackensie Alexander squares off against his 2020 team. And new Vikings linebacker Nick Vigil played out his entire rookie contract in Cincinnati.
Maybe the Sporting News guy is a student of history? The Vikings have not won a game in Cincinnati in 29 years.
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).