Vikings Pre-Draft Playoff Odds a Coinflip
Who knows?
That’s the defacto message from Vegas sportsbooks about the Minnesota Vikings and their eventual quest for playoff contendership in 2022.
On Tuesday, Caesars Sportsbook tweeted the Vikings playoff odds for 2022, indicating a true coinflip.
For non-gamblers, a wagerer would have to lay down $100 to win $105 if the Vikings reach the 2022 postseason. Conversely, if one bet $125 for Minnesota to miss the playoffs, the payout would be $100.
The odds arrive before a season in which the Vikings, internally, consider themselves Super Bowl contenders. Three months ago, Minnesota’s ownership fired general manager Rick Spielman and head coach Mike Zimmer, promising a new era of youth and collaboration.
And a youthful alliance came to town.
The Vikings hired Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as general manager, who then tapped Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell for head coaching duties. O’Connell won a Super Bowl in February with the Rams.
After that, many Vikings enthusiasts prepped for a roster rebuild that never transpired. Instead, Adofo-Mensah re-signed quarterback Kirk Cousins for an extra year while maintaining Spielman’s 2021 roster, for the most part.
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”989360″ player=”26279″ title=”WATCH%20Minnesota%20Vikings'%202022%20NFL%20Draft%20targets” duration=”134″ description=”Editor & writer for Vikings Territory, Dustin Baker joins Carolyn Manno to discuss all things Minnesota Vikings.” uploaddate=”2022-04-09″ thumbnailurl=”undefined” contentUrl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/streaming/989330/989330.m3u8″ width=”16″ height=”9″]
As an enterprise, the Vikings are, by default, banking on the previous head coach as the primary problem in 2020 and 2021. Otherwise, in his first few months, Adofo-Mensah had every leverage point necessary to torch the roster and rebuild. He did not, and the Vikings are poised to contend in 2022, at least per their optimistic outlook.
Moreover, Adofo-Mensah added key free agents like Za’Darius Smith, Harrison Phillips, Jordan Hicks, and Chandon Sullivan on defense. For offense, he notably signed a pair of interior trenchman, Chris Reed and Jesse Davis, to perhaps, once and for all, repair Minnesota’s longstanding pass-protection woes.
According to Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell, this is the blueprint to whisk the Vikings back to the playoffs. If they do not make it back to the playoffs in 2022, it will be the first back-to-back-to-back playoff drought since 2005-2007.
The next steps for the offseason occur on April 28th, when the Vikings embark on the NFL Draft. Barring a trade — which could actually happen — Adofo-Mensah will make his first draft selection at the #12 spot.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday 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).
You must be logged in to post a comment.