MINNESOTA VIKINGS 2022 WIN PREDICTION

BY ADAM GREENE

For Mike Zimmer, the marriage of inconvenience with Kirk Cousins experienced its swan song in a final disappointing Minnesota Vikings campaign that pretty much exemplified his entire run with the team.

With plenty of promise and some of the league’s best offensive talent, the Vikings opened the year 0-2 with losses to the Cincinnati Bengals and Arizona Cardinals. They bounced back with a beat down over the Seattle Seahawks, but fell to 1-3 on the year after a 14-7 grinding loss to the Cleveland Browns.

All hope was not lost. The NFC North schedule was still ahead and that’s where Minny got its record even, before once again getting its teeth punched out by two of the league’s better teams — the Dallas Cowboys (20-16) and Baltimore Ravens (34-31 in OT).

Here, though is where the Vikes went on a tear and made things interesting. In back to back weeks, they took down the Los Angeles Chargers in SoFi and the Green Bay Packers at home. They were 5-5 with seven games to go. Anything could happen.

So, of course, they lost the next two including surrendering the first victory of the season to the then winless Detroit Lions. They went 3-2 the rest of the way, sweeping the hapless Chicago Bears, but never stood much of chance against the eventual Super Bowl Champion Los Angeles Rams and the Packers in their rematch at Lambeau. It was that Green Bay loss that ensured they’d finish with a losing record and all but packed Zimmer’s desk for him.

Kirk Cousins started 16 games, missing one with COVID-19 because of course he did. He refused to get vaccinated and still isn’t. He’s already missed a preseason game with COVID-19 again, so don’t be surprised if they do make a playoff run for him to be off the roster late in the year after catching it a third time. But, hey, he’s not the only QB in the NFC North looking at that possibility and at least Cousins is being an Anti-Vaxx nutter without suffering through an Ayahuasca enema.

Last year he completed 66.3 percent of his passes for 4,221 yards, 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Dalvin Cook, on the way to the Pro Bowl, rushed for 1,159 yards and six touchdowns adding 224 receiving yards. Justin Jefferson punched his ticket to the All-Star game as well with 108 catches for 1,616 yards and 10 touchdowns.

The defense, which was supposed to be Zimmer’s forte when the team hired him eight years before, finished No. 24 in points allowed and No. 30 in yards allowed. DJ Wonnum led the team with eight sacks.

MINNESOTA VIKINGS

Last season: 8-9

Odds: Over 9.5 wins (-115), Under 9.5 wins (-115)

2022 NFL Draft: Lewis Cine, Safety, Georgia (Round 1), Andrew Booth, CB, Clemson (Round 2), Ed Ingram, OG, LSU (Round 2), Brian Asamoah, LB, Oklahoma (Round 2), Akayleb Evans, CB, Missouri (Round 4), Eseki Otomewo, DE, Minnesota (Round 5), Ty Chandler, RB, North Carolina (Round 5), Vederian Lowe, OT, Illinois (Round 6),

2022 Additions: Za’Darius Smith, Edge (free agent), Harrison Phillips, DT (free agent), Jordan Hicks, ILB (free agent), Chris Reed, OG (free agent), Johnny Mundt, TE (free agent), Chandon Sullivan, CB (free agent), Albert Wilson, WR (free agent), Nate Hairston, CB (free agent), Jonathan Bullard, DE (free agent), Austin Schlottmann, OG (free agent), Andre Mintze, DE (free agent), Shaun Beyer, TE (free agent)

Projected Starters

Offense

QB: Kirk Cousins

RB: Dalvin Cook

WR: Justin Jefferson

WR: Adam Thielen

WR: KJ Osborn

TE: Irv Smith, Jr.

FB: CJ Ham

LT: Christian Darrisaw

LG: Ezra Cleveland

C: Garrett Bradbury

RG: Jesse Davis

RT: Brian O’Neill

Defense

LDE: Dalvin Tomlinson

NT: Harrison Phillips

RDE: Armon Watts

WLB: Danielle Hunter

LILB: Eric Kendricks

RILB: Jordan Hicks

SLB: Za’Darius Smith

CB: Patrick Peterson

CB: Cameron Dantzler

SS: Harrison Smith

FS: Camryn Bynum

Special Teams

PK: Greg Joseph

P: Ryan Wright

PR: Ihmir Smith-Marsette

KR: Kene Nwangwu

PREVIEW

The head coaching upgrade from Mike Zimmer to Kevin O’Connell is going to show itself early for the Vikings. Zimmer was dumped after missing the playoffs for the third consecutive season with no real hope for change in sight. It didn’t help that he was also openly feuding with his own quarterback. And while Cousins isn’t a top QB or even a franchise guy, he’s unquestionably a starter a third of the league wishes they had the Vikings’ troubles behind center.

It’s the players around Cousins that should have everyone excited. Minnesota has one of the best skill units in the league and a solid offensive line in front of its mediocre, but not terrible quarterback. O’Connell is going to institute the Sean McVay offense in which Cousins thrived during his time under Jay Gruden and McVay with the Washington Commanders.

How difficult the Vikes’ schedule is depends largely on how much improved the Lions and Bears are. Detroit definitely looks more competitive in Dan Campbell’s second season. There’s no telling what Chicago can do considering Justin Fields’ rookie season was wasted in Matt Nagy’s offense.

But, looking at the schedule, Minny always seems to knock off the Packers at home, so I have no issue picking them to win the opener. At the Philadelphia Eagles is a tough draw, but afterwards the have the Lions, New Orleans Saints and Chicago Bears all at home. I see a 4-1 start there.

They travel to the Miami Dolphins before the bye and that’s probably a loss, but they get the Arizona Cardinals in Skol territory when they come back and I think that team is in for a rough season. A match up against Cousins’ old team in Washington the week after looks like a potential 6-2 record before jumping into the Buffalo Bills woodchipper on Nov. 13.

They have three straight winnable games against the Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots and New York Jets, all at home, before probably dropping a division game at Detroit. But, that’s already a 9-4 record. All they have to do is pick up one more victory over the final four weeks against the Indianapolis Colts, New York Giants, Packers and Bears. I think they can do it.

Final record prediction: 10-7

Follow Adam Greene on Twitter @TheFirstMan.

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