Minnesota Vikings predicted to win NFC North by NFL analyst for the reason why everyone should have them as favorites
Going into the season, the Minnesota Vikings ahve the fourth-best odds to win the NFC North. That shouldn’t be the case.
Across the sportsbooks, the Minnesota Vikings are projected with the fourth-best odds to win the NFC North. That comes after finishing third in the division with abysmal quarterback play, when being average at the position would have netted them 12 wins or more.
The biggest reason why the Vikings were as good as they were is simple: Brian Flores’ defense. They finished fifth overall, including having the second-best passing defense. It was especially impressive when you consider they rostered just three cornerbacks for the majority of the year.
Benjamin Solak predicts Minnesota Vikings to win NFC North
The reason why the Vikings should be more of a favorite to win the NFC North is simple: Flores’ defense. ESPN’s Benjamin Solak believes that’s going to be the key to winning the division for the Vikings.
“Meanwhile, in Minnesota, Brian Flores continues chugging along as the best defensive coordinator in the NFL. His creative maximizations of subpar talent stand above the work done by Philly’s Vic Fangio and Denver’s Vance Joseph on superior rosters. There were important departures this year — Jonathan Greenard, Harrison Smith — but Flores has consistently shown that he can beat the other sideline with X’s and O’s. With improved talent at defensive tackle via the draft (Caleb Banks and Domonique Orange), the Vikings’ interior run defense might stiffen up. That has been their Achilles’ heel.”
Solak mentions right after that, having stable quarterback play will be what elevates the team overall.
“If the Vikings’ defense remains a needle-moving unit, then a functional offense could return them to their 2024 status under QB Sam Darnold. Minnesota went 14-3 that year, losing the division in Week 17 to the Lions. It’s unreasonable to expect another 14 wins in a division this tough, but Murray easily has the requisite talent to improve on Minnesota’s 9-8 season in 2025.”
If the Vikings had stable quarterback play in 2025, they would have won 12-13 games. If you fix that and keep up some level of success on defense, things will get better for the Vikings.
