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.
No one is too high on the 2024 Minnesota Vikings, at least not as a playoff or Super Bowl contender. The franchise will set sail on Year No. 3 of Kevin O’Connell’s tenure with total quarterback mystery after letting Kirk Cousins test free agency four months ago, where the veteran passer ultimately signed with the Atlanta Falcons.
And according to Bleacher Report, the Vikings are one of the six NFL teams that could bounce out to a “disastrous start” in 2024.
Accompanying the Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Los Angeles Rams, Minnesota was included in a list compiled by BR’s Alex Ballentine in an article titled NFL Teams Set Up for a Disastrous Start to the 2024 Season.
“Head coach Kevin O’Connell has already confirmed that Darnold will be the starting quarterback going into training camp. McCarthy is only 21 years old and was drafted based on his long-term projection. It would make sense that he isn’t going to start right away. Darnold will have a strong supporting cast, but he’s going to have to play the best football we’ve seen him play for the Vikings to have a strong start,” Ballentine wrote.
“They start the season off with a very winnable game against the New York Giants, but the schedule quickly ramps up from there. Mike Clay’s projections gives the Vikings a 60 percent chance of beating the Giants in Week 1, but doesn’t see them as the favorite in a game again until Week 11 against the Tennessee Titans.”
Timid forecasts are not new for the 2024 Vikings — sportsbooks forecast the club for about seven wins. In many ways, even per fans’ sentiment, this season is flyover territory toward 2025, when Minnesota could truly cook with gas if rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy is the real deal.
“They don’t have a game close to 50 percent until Week 9 against the Colts. Perhaps that’s underestimating what the Vikings will be able to do with their supporting cast and an aggressive defense. But they get three playoff teams in Week 2-4 followed by the New York Jets who could be a playoff team if Aaron Rodgers is healthy and playing well,” Ballentine added.
The Vikings’ defense ranked 11th per DVOA in 2023, a 13-spot improvement from 2022 when the group checked in at No. 24 per the same metric. In the last four months, in addition to retaining the uber-aggressive Brian Flores as defensive coordinator, Minnesota added new defensive personnel: Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, Blake Cashman, Jerry Tillery, Shaquill Griffin, and 1st-Round rookie Dallas Turner. There’s a decent chance that the Vikings will morph into a defense-first enterprise.
For the context of Ballentine’s prognostication, these are the Vikings’ first handful of games:
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
Murderer’s row, indeed.
The NFL regular season is seven weeks away.
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.