Minnesota Vikings 2023 Preview. The Vikings start their regular season with the first five games outside their division. Four of those games will be against 2022 playoff teams. That includes the two teams that were in the Super Bowl – Philadelphia and Kansas City. They end the season by taking on their divisional rivals in the final three games.
Minnesota’s 2023 Season Schedule
Preseason games
Thursday, Aug 10, at Seattle Seahawks
Saturday, Aug 19 vs. Tennessee Titans
Saturday, Aug 26, vs. Arizona Cardinals
Regular season
Week 1 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Week 2 at Philadelphia Eagles
Week 3 vs. Los Angeles Chargers
Week 4 at Carolina Panthers
Week 5 vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Week 6 at Chicago Bears
Week 7 vs. San Francisco 49ers
Week 8 at Green Bay Packers
Week 9 at Atlanta Falcons
Week 10 vs. New Orleans Saints
Week 11 at Denver Broncos
Week 12 vs. Chicago Bears
Week 13 BYE
Week 14 at Las Vegas Raiders
Week 15 at Cincinnati Bengals
Week 16 vs. Detroit Lions
Week 17 vs. Green Bay Packers
Week 18 at Detroit Lions
Cousins and Jefferson
The dynamic duo for the offense was quarterback, captain Kirk Cousins and receiver Justin Jefferson.
Cousins threw for 4,547 yards last season (ranked 4th in the NFL), with 29 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He had a 65.9% completion rate on his passes, averaging 267.5 yards per game. To add to his targets in 2023, Minnesota drafted Jordan Addison, who is turning heads with his impressive catches during training camp. The only question now is how well he does with contested catches. He’s so good at getting open that there aren’t many opportunities to view this metric.
Jefferson was named the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year for the 2022 season. He caught 128 passes for 1,809 yards and eight touchdowns. He’s already broken Randy Moss’s NFL record for most 100-yard games through a player’s first four NFL seasons, and he hasn’t even started his fourth season. Moss had 23, and Jefferson has 24. Last year, he became the youngest player to lead the NFL in receptions and receiving yards.
His 4,825 yards in three seasons is the most in NFL history, 662 more than Moss, who is now in second place. The record for most receiving yards in a single season is 1,964 and was set by Calvin Johnson. Jefferson’s 1,809 yards last season ranks sixth, but at 24, he’s just getting started.
A Change in Defensive Coordinator
Defensive coordinator Ed Donatell was let go after only one season. His coverage style required a lot of communication, which didn’t happen. The Vikings gave up 125 plays of over 15 yards, more than any other team in the NFL. They were 28th in points allowed and 31st in yards allowed.
Replacing him is Brian Flores, whose style is the polar opposite of Donatell’s. Flores plays an aggressive style of football, which will see lineups on multiple fronts, man-to-man coverage, and lots of blitzes. With such a drastic change, the question arises of whether the roster can handle such a drastic change. Harrison Smith will be allowed to rush the passer more often, something he hasn’t been able to do for years. Having five new starters on defense might help the transition.
Sports Betting Predictions for the Vikings
Props bets on receiver Jefferson and even QB Cousins are a must to follow as they will continue to be the focal point of this team. Cousins will turn 35 in August. He’s been playing well the last few seasons but played with even more confidence in the second part of 2022. Will he continue the trend, or will his age hamper him? Other players like Alexander Mattison and rookie Jordan Addison will be worth keeping tabs on. Mattison will probably take over the bulk of the running back duties now that Dalvin Cook has been released.
NFC North Division Winner Odds
Detroit Lions +145
Minnesota Vikings +300
Green Bay Packers +400
Chicago Bears +430
Minnesota Vikings 2023 Season Odds
Win Total 8.5
Win Division +275
Make Playoffs +115
Win Super Bowl +3500
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