Dec 24, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings fans react during the game against the Detroit Lions at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports.
Fasten your seatbelt for a season of utter sorrow.
That’s the word from SI.com this week, formerly known as Sports Illustrated, regarding the Minnesota Vikings 2024 campaign. That popular website claims Minnesota will finish this season with a nauseating 3-14 record, by far the club’s worst since 2013.
It’s also good enough for the NFC’s worst record, along with the Carolina Panthers at 3-14, a disturbing prediction with the regular season less than four months away. SI.com’s Gilbert Manzano explained the awful prognostication, “The Vikings will open training camp with a quarterback competition between veteran newcomer Sam Darnold and rookie J.J. McCarthy. If McCarthy isn’t ready to be the immediate starter, the Vikings’ offense could take a hit this season with Darnold, who struggled with the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers early in his career.”
The schedule was released on Wednesday, and Manzano’s three wins for the Vikings were pegged against the Chicago Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Green Bay Packers. And then that was it. Fourteen losses otherwise.
“But the Vikings added plenty of talent on the defensive side to possibly make up for the adjustment year the offense might have without Kirk Cousins. Jonathan Greenard and rookie Dallas Turner form the new passing-rushing duo in Minnesota,” Manzano concluded.
If Minnesota implemented Manzano’s wild forecast, coaches would find themselves on hot seats. Most expect the Vikings to encounter a lackluster season — those are usually in play with a rookie quarterback — but 14 losses would take the cake and probably call into question Kevin O’Connell’s job security.
On the other hand, Minnesota would almost certainly earn the first or second overall pick in next year’s draft, which it could trade for a bevy of draft capital. After a trade for the draft pick that netted Dallas Turner last month, the Vikings’ draft capital cabinet is barren, at least for mid- and late-round picks in 2025.
Other websites have forecasted Minnesota for six, seven, and eight wins this season. SI.com’s three-win bombshell is a first-of-its-kind revelation. Most sportsbooks set the purple team’s win total at 6.5 wins or 7.5 wins.
Minnesota begins the regular season on September 8th at the New York Giants, followed by a murderous itinerary versus the San Francisco 49ers, Houston Texans, Green Bay Packers, New York Jets, Detroit Lions, and Los Angeles Rams.
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.