Vikings Coined a ‘Top Value Play’ for Super Bowl 58
The 2023 Minnesota Vikings, as of mid-February, are around the NFL’s 19th-likeliest team to hoist a Lombardi trophy one year from now.
Those odds from sportsbooks are a little embarrassing after the club finished 2022 with a 13-4 record, but there’s nothing Minnesota can do about it until September.
Vikings Coined a ‘Top Value Play’ for Super Bowl 58
Interestingly, though, if one is inclined to believe the Vikings can feasibly win Super Bowl LVIII, now is the time to place the bet. And CBS Sports agrees.
CBS Sports Jordan Dajani identified the NFL’s ‘top five value plays for Super Bowl LVIII,’ and the Vikings made the cut. He explained, “The Vikings defense was terrible in 2022, but hiring Brian Flores to lead that side of the ball is an “A+” move in my opinion. Kevin O’Connell accomplished much in his first season as head coach — a 13-4 record and an NFC North title.”
“I think adding another legitimate starting wideout is something Minnesota should do, but all-in-all I think the Vikings are an intriguing long shot to win it all. Thrown in that Rodgers could be gone from the division, and that just furthers my case,” Dajani concluded.
Other teams labeled top-value picks included the Baltimore Ravens, Chicago Bears, Miami Dolphins, and New York Jets. So, the list was not a ‘frontrunners to win the thing’ group of franchises but instead ones that could theoretically make noise while owning puny Super Bowl odds.
The Vikings will indeed effectuate a defensively themed offseason — like last year when general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and the aforementioned O’Connell arrived in Minneapolis. Minnesota’s keynote free-agent moves in 2022 — Za’Darius Smith, Harrison Phillips, Jordan Hicks, and Chandon Sullivan — were all defenders, and Adofo-Mensah drafted defensive players with five of his first six picks.
This offseason could be no different, as the Vikings ranked 27th in the NFL per defensive DVOA, 30th in points allowed, and 31st in yards allowed. Unless folks are jaded by anti-Kirk Cousins bias, defense was vividly the Vikings bane in 2022, and it’s extremely likely that Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell realized it. It’s why they hired Flores to run the show.
What’s more, Minnesota’s defense could undergo a significant facelift. Players like Dalvin Tomlinson, Jonathan Bullard, Za’Darius Smith, Eric Kendricks, Jordan Hicks, Patrick Peterson, and Duke Shelley are not a lock to return in 2023. In theory, if all those men departed, the Vikings defense would showcase seven new starters, which is rather remarkable for a 13-win team.
If you trust the Vikings to “get it right” in free agency and the NFL Draft, now is the time to hit the sportsbooks. Their odds probably won’t dip any lower than the current +4,500, and Dajani identified the betting value accordingly.
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 Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
You must be logged in to post a comment.