Why the 0-3 Minnesota Vikings Will Make the Playoffs

Starting 0-3 in the NFL, which only features 17 regular season games, creates a big hole for teams to dig themselves out of. Unfortunately for four fanbases, the Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos, and Minnesota Vikings face such unenviable circumstances.

Can these teams turn it around? In theory, anything is possible, but that’s a boring answer. Which one will turn it around and play meaningful January football?

The Minnesota Vikings. Read on to find out why.

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Minnesota Vikings: A Tough Start with Positives

There are no two ways about it. No team should start a campaign winless through three weeks and feel great about themselves. The Vikings are in trouble, make no mistake. But in contrast to the Bears, Panthers and Broncos, there are some positives one can extrapolate from the disappointing results.

For one, they’ve lost three matches by a combined 13 points. In each instance, the games were close down to the wire for different reasons. In the 20-17 loss to the Buccaneers, the score was notched 17-17 in the final period. Minnesota went ballistic on the attack in the fourth quarter in Philly to cut their deficit – and eventually final score – to 34-28. Last week against the Chargers they led 24-21 with under a quarter to play.

They still lost all of those games, but head coach Kevin O’Connell had his troupe remain competitive. In fact, Minnesota was involved in an incredible number of one-score games in 2022, winning all 11. That they’ve gone 0-3 this year is disappointing but fate has a funny way of playing tricks on us sometimes. It doesn’t take much to win those games. It doesn’t take much to lose them either, but let’s not start going in circles.

Who other to take charge of a great comeback story than QB Kirk Cousins, who leads the NFL in passing yards with 1,075, is seventh in completion percentage (69.6 per cent), and first in TDs (nine)? Minnesota is an interesting team every season even if they don’t go far in the playoffs. The main reason for that? Kirk Cousins.

Furthermore, WR Justin Jefferson leads the NFL in receiving yards with 458. He’s also third in receptions with 27. Tight end T.J. Hockenson is a proven stud as well.

Is the rushing game any good? No, but that’s why they signed Cam Akers from the Rams.

Not so Stiff NFC North Competition

And what of the competition? Who can continue to derail the Vikings’ season? Lest it’s forgotten, the Vikings compete in the NFC North, a division featuring a quartet of clubs with either major question marks surrounding them or have started even worse than Minnesota.

Look no further than the Bears. They too are 0-3, but the way things are shaping in the Windy City, 2023 looks to be a dark and gloomy campaign.

The Detroit Lions are a fun story. For all we know, they’ll win the North outright. They have the personnel to do it, but they must really go out and do it. Slipping up at home like against the Seahawks in Week 2 won’t cut it.

The Green Bay Packers are the elephant in the room. Who is Jordan Love? The guy who can carry a team on his back in the fourth quarter for a dramatic win or the one who didn’t play well for the first three quarters against the Saints and couldn’t help preserve a lead the week prior in Atlanta? That remains to be seen and the sample size is very small.

The Schedule Helps

So much of how an NFL team’s season plays out has to do with its schedule. We just listed why their closest rivals have no guarantees of success this season and why the Vikings have the talent to start winning games. Guess what. Six contests remain versus the Lions, Bears, and Packers.

Now, it’s true that things get dicey in Weeks 5 and 7 when they host the Chiefs and 49ers. Even so, the Vikings surely prefer hosting those adversaries rather than playing in Santa Clara or at Arrowhead. But games against the Panthers, Falcons, Broncos, and Raiders are also coming up. There is a Saints game later this year and that team may or not have Derek Carr under centre. Even when New Orleans has had Carr, it’s not like they’ve lit up the scoreboard.

There is the potential for a lot of wins against those teams.

Through three weeks, the defence isn’t very good and the Vikings embarrassingly lead the NFL in giveaways with nine. Those are problems that need adjusting. But it’s a long season with 14 matches left to be played. There is time to rectify those issues and as long as the offence keeps humming, this will give the Vikings a chance to still earn a postseason berth.