Former NFLer Pounds Table for 2023 Vikings — Again
Dustin Baker
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Most NFL experts have crowned the Detroit Lions as future NFC North champions in 2023.
The club appeared on Hard Knocks last year and later prevented the Green Bay Packers from reaching the postseason in front of a national TV audience in January.
Former NFLer Pounds Table for 2023 Vikings — Again
Accordingly, LionsMania has taken the offseason by storm, at least per folks speculating which team will win the NFC North.
But one former NFLer is sticking with the Vikings in 2023, ex-Philadelphia Eagle Emmanuel Acho. He now works for ESPN as an analyst and has remained high on the Vikings all offseason.
His show co-host Domonique Foxworth unsurprisingly nominated the Lions for the NFC North chip on ESPN airwaves last week, but Acho disagreed, picking Minnesota to win the division. He explained, “Last year, the Vikings were 13-4. The Vikings still have Justin Jefferson. The Vikings still have Kevin O’Connell. The Vikings are still a force to be reckoned with. I got excited about everything that the Lions have done during the offseason.”
“And then I remembered that there are other teams in the division, mainly the Vikings, that are saying, ‘Hold on now, we didn’t look great in the playoffs, but we still won 13 games last year.’ No, I’m not saying the Vikings are going to win another 13 games,” Acho continued.
The Vikings haven’t won consecutive division titles in 14 years.
Acho also included Minnesota in his playoff predictions a couple of months ago:
As of early July, these are the odds for winning the NFC North in 2023:
- Lions (+140)
- Vikings (+300)
- Packers (+350)
- Bears (+375)
Acho concluded his Vikings prediction, “But we can’t just sign, seal, and send it that the Lions are going to win this division. Like I said, I thought that weeks ago, but then I remembered there are other teams in this division that have something else to say about it — and I think the Vikings are going to win it.”
The Vikings wherewithal to repeat as division champs largely depends on defense. Somehow in 2022, Minnesota won 13 games while allowing 25.1 points per game to opponents — the third-worst mark in the league. To fix the stat, the Vikings hired Brian Flores in February, replacing Ed Donatell, who exited four days after Minnesota embarrassingly lost at home in the playoffs to the New York Giants.
If Flores can improve the Vikings defense to the middle of the pack — or even higher — Minnesota will likely win the North yet again. Otherwise, the Lions and Packers have the best odds.
Vikings training camp kicks off in 19 days.
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,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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