2022 Super Bowl Path: Minnesota Vikings Future Betting Odds
It's Now or Never for The Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings, seemingly year in and year out, are prone to disappointment. They’ve finished below .500 each of the past two seasons, going 8-9 in 2021 and finishing just below their 8.5 wins over/under. But, on paper, Minnesota should be a playoff team with the high-priced Kirk Cousins at quarterback and the ultra-talented Dalvin Cook, Justin Jefferson, and Adam Thielen as their top position players. Even with all the talent, the Minnesota Vikings future betting odds once again aren’t all that optimistic about new head coach Kevin O’Connell’s first season.
Minnesota is predicted to win just nine games in 2022, which would be a slight improvement and might be enough to get the Vikings into the postseason. However, it would still be underwhelming because the NFC North features a pair of bad teams in the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions as well as a Green Bay Packers team that is now without Davante Adams. So, there is some reason to think the Vikings could win 10 games, especially with how impressive some of the Minnesota Vikings stats could be on offense; however, there are big questions that remain on the other side of the ball. Take a look at the PointSpreads page, and keep updated with the NFL news.
Cousins Must Step Up
- Passing Yards: 4200.5 (-115o)
- Passing Touchdowns: 31.5 (-115o)
- Interceptions: 10.5 (-120o)
There are few quarterbacks more constantly maligned than Kirk Cousins which is as much due to his lucrative contract as it is his on-field production. Cousins is not “bad” by any means; in fact, his numbers with the Vikings over the past few seasons have been really good. In 2021, he threw for over 4,200 yards with 33 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. His issue is that Minnesota hasn’t been able to get over the hump with him as the signal-caller, in large part because of Cousins’ struggles in big games.
The good news for the Minnesota Vikings odds… if you want to wager on Cousins putting together another solid statistical campaign – is that his playoff problems don’t affect his regular season numbers. Cousins is a very reliable regular season performer who has thrown 30 or more touchdowns in three of his last four seasons and been picked off 10 or fewer times in three of his last four seasons as well. From a numerical perspective, there are much worse options to rely on than Cousins.
Cook Is So Steady
- Rushing Yards: 1150.5 (-115o)
- Rushing Touchdowns: 9.5
It helps Cousins that he has such talented top-flight skill position players surrounding him and Dalvin Cook is no different. Cook has established himself as one of the best running backs in the NFL and even though he seems to miss a few games every season — he has yet to appear in more than 14 games in any of his five NFL seasons — he has ran for over 1,100 yards in each of the last three years. In 2021, he posted 1,159 rushing yards in 13 games but did see his touchdown total dip to six scores, which was unusual for him.
Look for Cook to find pay dirt at least 10 times this year while continuing to be extremely efficient with his carries. The big wild card with him, as always, is just how much he’ll be able to play. While that’s not so easy to predict, it’s a good bet to expect him to eclipse 1,150 yards and nine touchdowns. Minnesota needs him to be a huge part of the offense if they are going to do anything of substance this season.
Minnesota Loaded With Pass-Catchers
Justin Jefferson
- Receptions: 102.5 (-115o)
- Receiving Yards: 1350.5 (-115o)
- Receiving Touchdowns: 9.5 (-115o)
Vikings fans are no strangers to watching wide receivers with Hall of Fame trajectories develop in Minnesota — think Moss, Randy and Carter, Cris — and, with how Justin Jefferson has played during his first two NFL seasons, it’s very reasonable to think he could be on a similar path. After taking the NFL by storm in 2020 with 88 catches for 1,400 yards, Jefferson outdid himself as a sophomore, posting 108 catches for 1,616 yards (with 10 touchdowns). The sky is truly the limit for him.
So, what will Jefferson do in his third season? The answer is, of course, unknown but the NFL future odds expect him to keep posting ridiculous numbers as Cousins’ top target. That seems likely as Jefferson has clearly edged out Adam Thielen as Minnesota’s top receiver and because Cousins loves throwing to Jefferson (with good reason). He was targeted a crazy 167 times a season ago which should translate to a boatload of catches in 2022.
Adam Thielen
- Receptions: 69.5 (-115o)
- Receiving Yards: 750.5 (-105o)
- Receiving Touchdowns: 7.5 (-115o)
After making the Pro Bowl in 2017 and 2018, Thielen has taken a clear step back in each of the past three years. He hasn’t been bad, per se, but his production has significantly dropped off which is why the Minnesota Vikings betting odds for his numbers are relatively pedestrian. Thielen “only” caught 67 passes for 726 yards but did manage to score 10 touchdowns as a reliable red zone option for Cousins.
Will Thielen’s numbers continue to dip in 2022? That’s a good question and, based on his age and how his career has gone, another performance decline is definitely something worth thinking about. Still, the ability is there and one thing Thielen is still elite at is catching the ball: He dropped just one pass in 2021 and has only 12 drops over the past four seasons combined. That kind of skill doesn’t drop off with age as quickly as speed or agility might. Thielen has a lot left in the tank.
Irv Smith Jr.
- Receptions: 52.5 (-115o)
The Vikings are excited to have tight end Irv Smith Jr. back on the field in 2022 after he missed the entire 2021 campaign with a torn meniscus. He hasn’t exactly torched the NFL so far in his young career — he has just 66 NFL catches for 676 yards — but he has shown plenty of promise and Minnesota is very high on the potential he can bring after missing almost two full years.
The Minnesota Vikings future betting odds only list his receptions as a possibility for wagering; however, the fact that it’s set at 52.5 is a sign of a potential breakout season. It’s also low enough to comfortably take the over which, of course, is banking on Smith Jr. staying healthy for a decent chunk of the season. He also does have to compete for target in a crowded group of Minnesota pass-catchers and that may complicate things.
