SI's Manzano Makes Surprising Record Prediction For Vikings

Will this be the Vikings' worst season in over a decade?

Dec 16, 2023; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell / Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports

Most analysts and projections don't believe the Vikings are going to be very good in 2024. With Kirk Cousins gone and one of the league's toughest schedules awaiting them, this could be a long season for Minnesota. Their Vegas win total is just 6.5 and they're currently favored in only three of 17 games.

Sports Illustrated's Gilberto Manzano really doesn't think the Vikings are going to be any good this year. He recently made record predictions for every NFC team and settled on a 3-14 record for Kevin O'Connell's squad. Manzano thinks the Vikings' only wins will come at home against the Colts, on the road against the Jaguars, and at home against Packers. He has them losing six times at home, once in London, and seven times on the road.

"The Vikings will open training camp with a quarterback competition between veteran newcomer Sam Darnold and rookie J.J. McCarthy. If McCarthy isn’t ready to be the immediate starter, the Vikings’ offense could take a hit this season with Darnold, who struggled with the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers early in his career. But the Vikings added plenty of talent on the defensive side to possibly make up for the adjustment year the offense might have without Kirk Cousins. Jonathan Greenard and rookie Dallas Turner form the new passing-rushing duo in Minnesota."

That's one of those blurbs that doesn't seem to fully match up with the record prediction. The Vikings added a bunch of defensive talent to make up for the offense, but not enough to win more than three games?

Here's my take: It is very, very, very difficult for me to imagine a team coached by O'Connell and Brian Flores winning just three games this season. Even last year, the Vikings managed to win three games started by Josh Dobbs, including one where he got benched for Nick Mullens in the second half. Yes, this is a transitional year with Darnold and McCarthy leading the quarterback room. But the Vikings have a great coaching staff, an elite offensive supporting cast for whoever's playing QB, and a defense with a bunch of fun, versatile pieces. That should be enough to win at least 5-8 games, which is what most analysts are predicting. Manzano even has the Vikings losing to the Titans and Cardinals.

The Vikings have won fewer than five games just twice in 56 seasons since 1968. They went 3-13 in Les Steckel's one disastrous year as head coach (1984) and in Leslie Frazier's first year (2011). They've won at least seven games in ten consecutive seasons (eight under Mike Zimmer, two under O'Connell). Even with Darnold and/or McCarthy playing QB against a tough schedule, I can't see a world where the Vikings don't claw their way to at least five victories in 2024. There's just too much talent on their roster and coaching staff. But we shall see!

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