The Deadliest Aspect of the Vikings’ 2023 Season
The Minnesota Vikings’ 2023 season has been an odyssey in three parts — two parts bad; one part good.
The Deadliest Aspect of the Vikings’ 2023 Season
Here’s the simple language:
Vikings 2023 Win-Loss:
Week 1-5 = 1-4
Week 6-11 = 5-0
Week 12-17 = 1-5
The club started poorly, strangely became hot when Justin Jefferson was injured, and then reverted to doldrums in the last six weeks. Not ideal.
And while Vikings fans can earnestly blame the turnovers, quarterback instability, the running game, or defense (at times), nothing has acted more deadly for the 2023 Vikings than homefield advantage — the lack thereof.
No matter what, Minnesota will finish 2023 with a 2-6 record (.250) at U.S. Bank Stadium. That’s putrid for any team and especially horrendous for a club that had playoff aspirations as recently as one week ago. In fact, the franchise’s home and road record, in theory, should be flipped. If at all, Minnesota should have a 2-6 record on the road while protecting homefield to the tune of 5-3, its current away win-loss mark.
But in a season where nothing has been consistent, the upside-down home record apparently fits. These are the Vikings’ yearly record at U.S. Bank Stadium since its opening in 2016:
- 2016: 5-3
- 2017: 7-1
- 2018: 5-3
- 2019: 6-2
- 2020: 3-5 (no fans)
- 2021: 5-3
- 2022: 8-1
- 2023: 2-6
The Vikings 2-6 mark at home — or winning 25% of the time — ranks 29th in the NFL this season. Only the New England Patriots and Washington Commanders have played worse at home; the Los Angeles Chargers are tied with the Vikings. For context, the Las Vegas Raiders, a subpar club in general, have a 5-3 win-loss at home.
So, this needs repair — like instantly. U.S. Bank Stadium used to be a total fortress for Vikings’ dominance. From 2016 to 2022, Minnesota’s .684 win rate ranked fourth-best in the NFL, topped by the Kansas City Chiefs, Green Bay Packers, and Pittsburgh Steelers. Now, in 2023, the Vikings have the NFL’s fourth-worst homefield advantage.
It’s fourth-best per stadium history to fourth-worst in 2023.
Sadly, there’s no clear rhyme or reason for the tumble. Keeping a healthy Kirk Cousins in the lineup assuredly would’ve helped, but even with an assortment of passers like Joshua Dobbs, Nick Mullens, and Jaren Hall, Minnesota should at least hold serve at home, perhaps to the tune of a .500 record. But no luck.
The team must reclaim homefield advantage, and the fix could be as straightforward as returning a healthy roster in 2024. We shall see.
Overall, 2023 was the Vikings’ third-worst home season in history:
Vikings Worst Seasons,
at Home,
Franchise History:
1. 2011 (1-7)
2. 1962 (1-5-1)
t3. 2023 (2-6)
t3. 1984 (2-6)
5. 1967 (1-4-2)
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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