Picking Every Game on the Minnesota Vikings' 2022 Schedule
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Football season is here.
With the Vikings' 2022 campaign getting underway on Sunday against the Packers, it's time to go on the record and make my game-by-game predictions for the first season of the Kevin O'Connell era.
Will this age poorly? Probably. But I'm giving it a shot anyways.
Let's do this.
Week 1 vs. Packers: WIN (1-0)
It's hard to feel overly confident in picking the Vikings to beat Aaron Rodgers and company, but I think they'll get it done in the opener. The Vikings are healthy, U.S. Bank Stadium will be rocking, and their advantage at wide receiver can help offset their disadvantage at quarterback. The O'Connell era starts with a win that causes optimism in Minnesota to skyrocket.
Week 2 at Eagles: LOSS (1-1)
Monday Night Football in a hostile road environment against a team that could be one of the NFC's best? That's a tough sell. The Eagles traded for A.J. Brown this offseason to give Jalen Hurts a No. 1 receiver, and they added a ton of talent — James Bradberry, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Jordan Davis, Kyzir White — to a defense that already had plenty. They look like potential contenders. Kirk Cousins won't shake the MNF narrative in this one.
Week 3 vs. Lions: WIN (2-1)
Honestly, watching Hard Knocks this year has made me hope Dan Campbell's Lions find some success in 2022. They've got a likable group in that building, not to mention a fan base starved for quality football. With that said, Jared Goff isn't going to come to Minneapolis and beat the Vikings. Ed Donatell's defense will give him fits.
Week 4 at Saints (London): WIN (3-1)
The Vikings have never lost in London! This matchup will be tougher than games against a mediocre Steelers team in 2013 and the 0-16 Browns in 2017, but I think the streak will grow to three. Losing Sean Payton could hurt the Saints this year, and Jameis Winston can usually be counted on for a turnover or two. The Vikings win a close one across the pond.
Week 5 vs. Bears: WIN (4-1)
I don't think the Bears will be the worst team in the NFL this year. I do, however, think they'll be in the bottom five. Akiem Hicks and Khalil Mack can't hurt you anymore, Vikings fans. Despite some jet lag early in the week, Minnesota wins in a blowout behind yet another huge day from Justin Jefferson.
Week 6 at Dolphins: LOSS (4-2)
This Dolphins team is going to be a tougher out than some people might think, especially at home. Mike McDaniel will scheme up explosive plays for Chase Edmonds and Raheem Mostert on the ground, and Tua Tagovailoa is good enough to get the ball to Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle in space. There are some nice pieces on defense, too, including Xavien Howard and Jaelan Phillips. The Vikings come up just short in Dalvin Cook's return to South Florida.
Week 7 BYE
Week 8 vs. Cardinals: LOSS (4-3)
A home loss coming out of the bye week would be a disappointing result, I know. It happened last year against the Cooper Rush-led Cowboys, if you'll recall. I think this one will be close, but the Cardinals will have DeAndre Hopkins back from suspension at this point. Even at 30 years old, he'll be a problem for the Vikings' corners. Kyler Murray and company will put up points on the road and the Cardinals' defense will do just enough to help them win a thriller.
Week 9 at Commanders: WIN (5-3)
The Commanders going from Taylor Heinicke to Carson Wentz qualifies as a quarterback upgrade, but...not by much. Wentz is still a bottom-ten starter in the league. Washington has talent on its defensive front, but the Vikings shouldn't have too much difficulty going on the road and winning this one.
Week 10 at Bills: LOSS (5-4)
With all due respect to the Week 17 trip to Lambeau Field, this is the Vikings' toughest game of the season. The Bills seem to be everyone's pick to win the Super Bowl this year, and for good reason. They've got the quarterback, the coaching, the weapons, and the defense (which now has Von Miller). If the Vikings couldn't hang with rookie Josh Allen in 2018, what are they going to do against superstar/alien Josh Allen in 2022? Stefon Diggs' team bests Harrison Phillips' team in the battle of revenge games.
Week 11 vs. Cowboys: WIN (6-4)
The Vikings have lost two home games in a row to the Cowboys — with Cooper Rush and Andy Dalton at QB. The last time they actually faced Dak Prescott, they won. That doesn't really mean anything since the Vikings have a brand new coaching staff, but it's kind of funny. After losing three of four in this scenario, Minnesota bounces back with a big home win against Anthony Barr and Dallas. The Cowboys have a ton of talent, but they'd be a much more concerning opponent if Mike McCarthy wasn't their head coach.
Week 12 vs. Patriots: LOSS (6-5)
I think the Vikings are a slightly better team than the Patriots. I also can't bring myself to pick against Bill Belichick finding a way to slow down O'Connell's offense on a short week (this is the night game on Thanksgiving). O'Connell will want nothing more than to beat his former head coach, but Belichick is one of the best ever for a reason. A late Mac Jones touchdown pass helps New England win a low-scoring affair, souring the holiday for Vikings fans.
Week 13 vs. Jets: WIN (7-5)
Remember how I said I don't think the Bears will be the worst team in the league? That's because the Jets, Texans, and Falcons exist. The Jets have some intriguing young pieces, but unless Zach Wilson takes a massive step forward in year two, it's going to be another long season for them. This feels like a straightforward double-digit Vikings win.
Week 14 at Lions: WIN (8-5)
After alternating losses and wins for the first six games after the bye, the Vikings finally win two in a row for the first time since their early-season three-game streak. That disastrous loss to the then-winless Lions last year snapped an eight-game streak for Mike Zimmer against Detroit. Never fear: O'Connell's going to go 2-0 against the Lions in his first season.
Week 15 vs. Colts: WIN (9-5)
The Colts should be the best team in the AFC South this year, although that's not saying a ton since Tennessee got worse and the other two teams are the Texans and Jaguars. Jonathan Taylor and Michael Pittman Jr. are a lot of fun and the defense looks solid, but I've got questions about 37-year-old Matt Ryan, the offensive tackles, and whether or not Stephon Gilmore can stay healthy. I think the Vikings stay hot with an impressive win over Indy.
Week 16 vs. Giants: WIN (10-5)
Even if you think the Vikings are a playoff bubble team, talent-wise, the schedule sets up about as well as it could this year. For one, they get nine home games, seven road games, and a neutral-site game. Maybe more importantly, their opposing QB schedule just isn't that tough. Daniel Jones is right there with Wilson, Goff, and Wentz at the bottom of the list. I liked the Giants' Brian Daboll hire, but his first year is unlikely to be as competitive as O'Connell's because of what each coach inherited. Make it a four-game winning streak.
Week 17 at Packers: LOSS (10-6)
The Vikings have another trip to Green Bay to kick off the new year, this time literally on the first day of January. Hopefully Cousins will be able to play this time. Even if he does, I'm not picking the Vikings to sweep the Packers. Rodgers and their defense are too good for that. This could be the game that seals the division.
Week 18 at Bears: WIN (11-6)
We've seen a lot of meaningless season-ending Vikings-Bears games in recent years, but I'm assuming Minnesota will be playing for something — whether it's a playoff spot or a better seed — in this one. Although Soldier Fields is often a house of horrors for the Vikings, this Bears team should be bad enough to outweigh that.
Final record: 11-6
The Vikings finish a game behind the Packers in the NFC North, get the 5 or 6 seed, and open the playoffs on the road.
I don't feel super great about predicting 11 wins with Cousins at quarterback and a first-time head coach calling the shots, but that's how it played out as I went through the schedule game by game. I'll say this: I'm a believer in O'Connell, Donatell, and the talent the Vikings have on both sides of the ball. If they stay fairly healthy, they should be playoff-bound this year.
Thanks for reading. Make sure to bookmark this site and check back daily for the latest Vikings news and analysis all offseason long. Also, follow me on Twitter and feel free to ask me any questions on there.
