Bleacher Report Forecasts Vikings’ Win Total Higher than Most
The Minnesota Vikings dropped their 2024 schedule on social media last night, a docket of opponents not necessarily considered easy.
Bleacher Report Forecasts Vikings’ Win Total Higher than Most
Oddsmakers believe the purple team will win about 6.5 games in 2024. The total is smaller than in previous years because of the quarterback mystery — nobody knows how long Sam Darnold will lead the enterprise as QB1. Darnold joined the Vikings in March after Kirk Cousins left in free agency for the Atlanta Falcons, and six weeks later, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah drafted J.J. McCarthy with the 10th overall pick.
Here’s the Vikings’ 2024 schedule:
- Week 1 — at New York Giants
- Week 2 — vs. San Francisco 49ers
- Week 3 — vs. Houston Texans
- Week 4 — at Green Bay Packers
- Week 5 — vs. New York Jets (London)
- Week 6 — Bye
- Week 7 — vs. Detroit Lions
- Week 8 — at Los Angeles Rams (TNF)
- Week 9 — vs. Indianapolis Colts
- Week 10 — at Jacksonville Jaguars
- Week 11 — at Tennessee Titans
- Week 12 — at Chicago Bears
- Week 13 — vs. Arizona Cardinals
- Week 14 — vs. Atlanta Falcons
- Week 15 — vs. Chicago Bears (MNF)
- Week 16 — at Seattle Seahawks
- Week 17 — vs. Green Bay Packers
- Week 18 — at Detroit Lions
And according to Bleacher Report, an outfit that forecasted each NFL team’s win-loss record following the schedule release, Minnesota is on deck for an 8-9 season. While that’s not cause for a parade, it’s higher than most folks’ expectations, with the regular season less than four months away.
“If Darnold starts, Minnesota will probably have to accept the inconsistency in his game. In 66 NFL appearances (including 56 starts), he’s thrown for 63 touchdowns and 56 interceptions with a 59.7 percent completion rate. Darnold may not be much better than Nick Mullens, who turned the ball over at an alarming rate last season,” BR’s Maurice Moton explained about Darnold’s role in the offense.
Vikings fans and NFL media will debate Darnold-or-McCarthy ad nauseam this summer, and the discussion has already begun for some. Truth be told, it’s only a matter of time before McCarthy takes the QB1 scepter.
Moton concluded and assigned the 8-9 record prediction, “The Vikings’ passing offense, which features All-Pro receiver Justin Jefferson, budding second-year wideout Jordan Addison and two-time Pro Bowl tight end T.J. Hockenson, may have a lower ceiling with Darnold or McCarthy. McCarthy has the offensive personnel and play-caller in head coach Kevin O’Connell to become a Pro Bowl-caliber starter. But we may have to wait until his second year to see evidence of it.”
BR primarily focused on offense in its write-up, but it’s worth noting that Brian Flores’ second-year defense also received help via new personnel in free agency and the draft.
A 6.5-win forecast is Minnesota’s lowest entering a season since 2014.
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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