Minnesota Vikings

In coach Mike Zimmer’s first seven seasons, the Vikings have followed a very interesting pattern. And if they follow that pattern this season, then the Vikings will post double-digit wins and reach the playoffs. In 2014, 20168, 2018, and last season, the Vikings missed the playoffs and finished with no more than eight wins in any season. In 2015, 2017, and 2019, they won 11, 13, and 10 games, and reached the playoffs each season, including a trip to the NFC Championship Game in the 2017 season.

To keep the pattern going and challenge the favored Green Bay Packers for the NFC North title, the Vikings will need another strong season on offense. The Vikings have one of the best running backs in the league in Dalvin Cook, who is coming off of a career-best season. Last season Cook posted career highs in rushing yards (1,557), rushing touchdowns (16), and yards per carry (5.0), and he also caught 44 passes. And he did all of this while playing only 14 of 16 regular-season games. Cook and Tennessee Titans star Derrick Henry are expected to battle it out to lead the NFL in the major rushing categories. Preseason NFL futures odds have Henry and Cook as the two leading favorites to top the charts in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns, with Cook coming in at +550 to lead the league in yards and +600 to lead the league in touchdowns.

The Vikings are far from one-dimensional on offense. Quarterback Kirk Cousins had a career-high 35 touchdown passes last season and threw for over 4,000 yards for the fifth time in the last six seasons. Only one of those five seasons has resulted in a trip to the playoffs, which was the 2015 season in which he led the Washington Football Team to the NFC East title. Cousins’ top target is one of the top young receivers in the league, Justin Jefferson, who had 88 catches and 1,400 yards as a rookie last season. Jefferson is +1100 to lead the league in receiving yards this season after ranking fourth in that category in 2020.

Above all, the Vikings need to be better defensively after a terrible season on that side of the ball. Zimmer, who built his reputation as a defensive coordinator with the Dallas Cowboys, Atlanta Falcons, and Cincinnati Bengals will no doubt be expecting improvement from a unit that was one of the NFL’s worst across the board last season. It will not be an easy task to take down Aaron Rodgers and the Packers in the NFC North, but if the defense can improve from disastrous to decent, the Vikings will have a good chance of continuing that aforementioned pattern.

Date, Matchup, Time, and TV Broadcast Information

Week 1

Sunday, September 12, 2021: at Cincinnati Bengals, 1:00 p.m. ET, FOX

Minnesota Vikings vs Cincinnati Bengals Betting Odds

• Spread: Minnesota Vikings -3 (-110), Cincinnati Bengals +3 (-110)
• Total: OVER 47.5 (-105), UNDER 47.5 (-115)
• Moneyline: Minnesota Vikings -164, Cincinnati Bengals +138

Week 2

Sunday, September 19, 2021: at Arizona Cardinals, 4:05 p.m. ET, FOX

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

Week 6

Week 7

Week 8

Week 9

Week 10

Week 11

Week 12

Week 13

Week 14

Week 15

Week 16

Sunday, December 26, 2021: vs Los Angeles Rams, 1:00 p.m. ET, FOX

Week 17

Sunday, January 2, 2022: at Green Bay Packers, 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC

Week 18

Sunday, January 9, 2022: vs Chicago Bears, 1:00 p.m. ET, FOX

Minnesota Vikings 2021 Betting Information

• SU: 0-0-0 (0-0-0 home, 0-0-0 away)
• ATS: 0-0-0 (0-0-0 home, 0-0-0 away)
• O/U: 0-0-0 (0-0-0 home, 0-0-0 away)

Minnesota Vikings 2021 Statistical Summary

Scoring

• Scoring Offense: 0.0
• Scoring Defense: 0.0

Total Yards Per Game

• Offense: 0.0
• Defense: 0.0

Passing Yards Per Game

• Offense: 0.0
• Defense: 0.0

Rushing Yards Per Game

• Offense: 0.0
• Defense: 0.0

Minnesota Vikings 2021 Season Odds

Odds to Win Super Bowl LVI

• September 9: +4400

Odds to Win the NFC Championship

• September 9: +2000

Odds to Win the NFC North Title

• September 9: +280

Odds to Make the NFL Playoffs

• September 9: YES -106, NO -116

Minnesota Vikings 2021 Season Win Total

• September 9: OVER 8.5 (-160), UNDER 8.5 (+135)