Vikings' 2022 Vegas Win Total Set at 8.5 For Second Consecutive Year

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Despite having a new coaching staff, a new general manager, and several new impact players, the Vikings' 2022 win total has been set at 8.5 for a second consecutive spring. This year's early total comes from Caesars Sportsbook. A couple books have the Vikings at an even 9, but 8.5 seems to be the consensus as of right now.

Last year, the 8.5 number was spot on. The Vikings finished 8-9, missed the playoffs for a second straight year, and saw major changes swept in as Mike Zimmer and Rick Spielman were fired. With eight of their nine losses coming by eight points or fewer — including four losses decided on the game's final play — it's easy to say the Vikings should've hit the over.

However, it's hard to say they deserved to win at least nine games. The Vikings also won six games by eight points or fewer, and four of those victories were determined on the game's final play. It was a perfectly mediocre team.

Will things be different this year? The Vikings certainly seem to think so. New GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, head coach Kevin O'Connell, and their staffs will try to take a roster that returns much of the same core and get better results out of it.

The optimistic view is that better coaching and new schemes could go a long way with what is a talented roster on paper. Having a healthy Irv Smith Jr. and Danielle Hunter would be big. The Vikings have a loaded group of skill players on offense and made some impact additions on the defensive side of the ball with Za'Darius Smith, Harrison Phillips, and Jordan Hicks. With some improvement from the secondary and the interior offensive line, this could be a team with a bunch of star power and no major weaknesses.

The pessimistic view revolves around the fact that Kirk Cousins is still the quarterback, and mediocrity has followed him throughout his entire NFL career. Many core players are getting up there in age, which suggests better injury luck is far from a guarantee. The Vikings still have question marks at center, right guard, cornerback, and safety.

With what we know right now, 8.5 wins makes sense as the projected total. There's still a draft and an entire offseason of preparation ahead before the season gets going, so we'll see if that changes the perception of this team at all.

Ever the optimist, I'd bet on the over, as I think this team has the talent and coaching to win at least 9 games. Then again, I also said that last year, and look how that turned out. Regardless, this should be an exciting year for Vikings fans, as things will at least look a bit different with Adofo-Mensah and O'Connell running the show.

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