How Many Games are the Vikings Projected to Win in 2020?

Heading into the 2020 NFL season, the Vikings are a somewhat difficult team to evaluate. They were one of the final eight teams standing in the playoffs last season, but then went through a free agency period where they lost a great deal of veteran talent. To replenish that talent, the Vikings had a highly successful draft.

There are plenty of valid reasons to believe in Minnesota as a playoff team this season. There are also plenty of valid reasons for skepticism about this team's potential, especially in an unusual offseason where rookies might not be able to get acclimated to the NFL as quickly as normal.

With that in mind, let's check in on the Vikings' latest projected win totals from the sportsbooks in Las Vegas.

The Vikings' over/under opened at 9.5 wins after the Super Bowl. Following a free agency period in which the Vikings lost Stefon Diggs, Everson Griffen, Xavier Rhodes, Trae Waynes, and others, that number dropped an entire win, going down to 8.5. But after landing Justin Jefferson, Jeff Gladney, and Ezra Cleveland as the headliners of a 15-man draft class, the consensus total has climbed back to 9.0.

The Vikings went 10-6 last year and have averaged 9.5 wins per year during the six years of the Mike Zimmer era, so a nine-win projection makes sense. I could see the Vikings surpassing that number if they get big contributions from young players, especially with the NFC North not looking super strong in 2020. But I could also see the Vikings falling short of that number given that they still have several holes on the roster.

The Packers' consensus win projection is also 9.0, the Bears are at 8.0, and the Lions are at 6.5.

Based on projected win totals, the Vikings have the 12-easiest schedule in the NFL in 2020.

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