Mitch Massman’s Game-by-Game Predictions for 2022 Vikings

Mitchel Massman   |  

Sep 7, 2022

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We are just days away from the Vikings kicking off the 2022 regular season. With that comes win/loss predictions from across the league. Let’s make some Vikings’ season predictions game by game.

Packers at Vikings – Week 1

• The opening game of the year comes against a division rival. This is a tough one to predict because Aaron Rodgers is still in Green Bay and the Packers defense is very good. Nonetheless, the Vikings will squeak out a victory to begin the season. The reasoning is that the Vikings have a better skill position group and a new scheme designed to get the best out of Cousins and create conflicts in coverage. 1-0

Vikings at Eagles – Week 2

• The Eagles are my pick to win the NFC East and make a deep playoff run. They have a good defense and great wide receivers. The Vikings will have their work cut out for themselves here. The Eagles will win this game. 1-1

Lions at Vikings – Week 3

• The Lions will be a better team than some people suspect this year. They will play nearly every game within a touchdown. Expect this to come down to the wire, but the Vikings should win. 2-1

Vikings at Saints – Week 4 (London Game)

• The Saints have all sorts of questions with Sean Payton no longer the coach. They will likely not be as good on offense, but their defense will be as good as ever. However, the Vikings win this game with a stellar performance by Cousins. 3-1

Bears at Vikings – Week 5

• The Bears stink. They have no direction for their team, and Fields has bad habits, like panicking in the pocket. Vikings win. 4-1

Here Comes the Buzzsaw

Vikings at Dolphins – Week 6

• The Vikings need to have a good record coming into this stretch of the season. It will be a meat grinder. The Dolphins are likely going to be second in the AFC East and look to be pretty good on paper. Vikings lose. 4-2

Cardinals at Vikings – Week 8

• Can the Vikings contain Kyler Murray better than last year? That is the question that will define this game. If Za’Darius Smith and Danielle Hunter are still healthy at this point, look for the Vikings to contain him. However, it is not enough to win. 4-3

Vikings at Commanders – Week 9

• The Commanders elected to bring in Carson Wentz as their starting quarterback. He will probably have 3 or 4 turnovers in this game. Vikings win. 5-3

Vikings at Bills – Week 10

• All we want from this game is for the Vikings to be competitive. Do they look like they belong in the same league as the Bills? If they do, that is promising for a late playoff push. However, the Bills win this game. 5-4

A Much Needed Home Game Stretch for the Vikings

Cowboys at Vikings – Week 11

• The beginning of a three-home-game stretch is against the Cowboys. I am not buying the Cowboys this year, but look for this game to be a shootout. The Vikings win on a game-winning field goal. (Did I jinx it? Maybe). 6-4

Patriots at Vikings – Week 12

• I cannot recall the last time the Vikings beat the Patriots. However, the Patriots don’t have Tom Brady anymore, and their defense is suspect. Although, Bellichick always has the team ready at this point in the season. Vikings lose. 6-5

Jets at Vikings – Week 13

• Are the Jets even an NFL team? I suspect they will be better than last year, but it is difficult to see how the Vikings will lose this game. If they want to be considered a real contender, they have to win. 7-5

Vikings at Lions – Week 14

• Will we see a repeat of the 2021 loss? I doubt it. Watch Cousins go off for 300+ yards and 3 TDs. Vikings win big. 8-5

Colts at Vikings – Week 15

• The Colts have a real leader at the quarterback position this year, and their defense appears to be stacked. The Vikings must come out swinging and keep their foot on the gas. They lose on a game-winning field goal. 8-6

Giants at Vikings – Week 16

• Another team without a direction in sight. The Giants are going nowhere fast. Vikings win. 9-6

Must Win Games to Make the Playoffs

Vikings at Packers – Week 17

• The Vikings going into Lambeau need a win or a loss by some other team to guarantee a playoff spot. However, the Packers’ defense proves to be too much to handle, and Aaron Rodgers crushes the dreams of winning by putting up 300 yards and 4 TDs. 9-7

Vikings at Bears – Week 18

• Week 18 at Soldier’s Field? The curse is broken, right? As long as this game remains a noon game, the Vikings win but just barely. This is still Soldier’s Field, and the Vikings never seem to play great there. However, they do just enough to get a win and sneak into the playoffs as a wildcard team. 10-7

Final Prediction to Vikings Season

The Vikings need to start fast this year. However, opening against the Packers and Eagles is not the friendliest of ways to get going quickly. Although, the Vikings have a real chance to beat them both. If they do, they could start the season 5-0 before getting into a buzzsaw against the Dolphins, Cardinals, and Bills.

At the end of the day, winning 10 games seems like a good bet for this Vikings team. Their ceiling, in my opinion, is 11 wins with a floor of 8. The beginning of the second half of the season has 5 of 6 home games. This stretch is crucial to the Vikings’ chances of making the playoffs.

Mitch Massman is a life-long Vikings fan. His first heartbreak was the 1998 NFC championship game. His full-time job is as an economic development professional in rural Minnesota. He fantasizes about the Vikings winning a Super Bowl one day, but until then he will write about the Vikings. Follow him on Twitter @skol_vikings3

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