The Vikings Will Go 12-5 in 2022

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The Minnesota Vikings are looking to put a better foot forward in 2022 after going out with a whimper during Mike Zimmer’s final season. The talent is all on the roster, and a progressive head coach in Kevin O’Connell should be expected to make all the difference. This season, the Vikings will go 12-5.

That’s definitely a lofty prediction for a team coming off an 8-9 record last season, but it’s also hard to suggest that result was reflective of their true talent. Whether it was missed kicks, poor clock management, bad coaching, or lacking discipline, any number of games last season could have swung the other way for Minnesota.

Now with a fresh start and a new slate ahead of them, here’s how I see the team getting there:

Wins(10): Green Bay (Wk1), Detroit (Wk3), Chicago (Wk5), Miami (Wk6), Washington (Wk9), New England (Wk12), New York J (Wk13), Detroit (Wk14), New York G (Wk16), Chicago (Wk18)

If there are two spots here that come off looking a bit too confident, it’s Week 1 and Week 12. The Green Bay Packers are going to be good. No matter how weird or obnoxious Aaron Rodgers is, he’s one of the best ever to play the quarterback position. That wide receiver group is a mess, but he’ll find a way to make it work.

Aaron Rodgers and D.J. Wonnum
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Bill Belichick doesn’t have Tom Brady anymore, but he’s grooming Mac Jones to be a solid starter. I’m still not sure that’s a playoff team, though, and on a short week for a primetime Thanksgiving matchup, US Bank Stadium makes all the difference for the Vikings.

Maybe I’m a bit too confident going into Miami, but Tua Tagovailoa needs to take a massive step forward for that team to be good. I don’t see it. The Bears, Jets, and Lions should all be relatively terrible.

Losses(2): Buffalo (Wk10), Green Bay (Wk17)

Neither of these should be a shock. Both teams are Super Bowl contenders, and both games happen on the road. If Minnesota can knock off Josh Allen in Week 10, that’d be quite the statement win. Beating Green Bay at Lambeau is never easy, but if I’m taking Minnesota to win at home, betting on a split is a good tradeoff.

Coin Flips(5): Philadelphia (Wk2), New Orleans (Wk4), Arizona (Wk8), Dallas (Wk11), Indianapolis (Wk15)

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Reaching 12 wins would require the Vikings to convert less than half of these matchups. Week 2 against Jalen Hurts could be a spot where Minnesota gets a quarterback before they get into a groove. The Eagles have given him new weapons, and Hurts looks to take a step forward. There’s no telling how Jameis Winston looks in his return, but Alvin Kamara could be suspended through Week 4.

Now locked into a megadeal, Kyler Murray can focus on doing his thing all season for the Cardinals. Minnesota should have won that game last season, but it was played at home. The Cowboys and Colts matchups are intriguing. Neither should be seen as much better than Minnesota, and the Vikings get both of those games at US Bank Stadium. There’s an opportunity to come out ahead here.

Any way you cut it, the Vikings should have the talent to make legitimate noise in the playoffs this year. The schedule sets up nicely for them, and a clean bill of health can give this team a shot to make noise in the first year under a new regime.


Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes weekly for Twins Daily. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.

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