For every football fan, hope springs eternal at the start of every new season. Once the games begin, though, it quickly becomes clear which teams will be playoff contenders and which will sink like a stone before the midway point of the season. Every year, though, there are a few teams who are a little tougher to predict. Those teams have a shot at doing well if things go right from the off, but they could also be in real trouble if they hit a patch. It is always worth keeping an eye on those dark horse teams, as they can end up causing trouble for the contenders along the way. The Minnesota Vikings look like one of those types of teams to me this season, so let’s take a closer look at their current NFL odds and how to play them.
2021 NFL Betting | Minnesota Vikings Analysis for the Upcoming Season
Vikings Divisional & Playoff Chances
If they were being totally honest, Vikings fans would probably admit that they groaned out loud when the Packers announced that Aaron Rodgers would be returning to the fold this season. The Green Bay Packers are the class of the NFC North and will remain that way until Rodgers retires or moves on. The Vikings are the biggest threat in the division and are currently +250 to win the North. Not a bad price if you fancy taking a risk, but I am all over the Packers here.
As for making the playoffs, the bookies basically have the Vikings in at 50/50, as they have the YES at -115 and the No at -115. If they are to make it in, it would be through the Wild Card, so a lot is going to depend on what the other teams in the NFC do. The chances of the Vikings making it through the playoffs and representing the NFC in the Super Bowl seem rather slim to me. The bookies tend to agree and have them at +2000 to win the conference.
Viking Regular Season Win Total
If you ignore the Washington Commanders, who won an awful NFC East last season with a 7-9 record, the mark to make it to the postseason in 2020 in the NFC was 8-8. The Chicago Bears got in with that mark, which leads you to believe that the Vikings would probably need to win 9 or 10 games this season to be looking at the Wild Card. Remember, each team plays 1 more game this season.
The Vikings went 7-9 last season, but I could see them going a little better than that this year, although not by a whole lot. The bookies have set their win total at 9 games this season, which is right about where I see them finishing. It might be worth buying a ½ point to take that to 8 ½ games, as that seems like a much more winnable wager.
If they can take care of the Bears and the Lions in their divisional games, Minnesota will have a shot at hitting those 9 wins and making it in as a Wild Card team. That said, this is not a team that inspires a great deal of confidence in me.
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