Eight weeks through the 2022 NFL season, many divisions throughout the league are starting to come into focus as to which teams are sitting in prime positions to take their divisional crowns. That is exactly the case for the NFC North, with the Minnesota Vikings holding a firm lead in the division over the Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears, and Detroit Lions.
Minnesota enters Week 9 with a record of 6-1 overall, the best start for the franchise since 2009 when it reached as far as the NFC Championship Game. Along with that strong start to the year, the Vikings also hold a sizable lead over the other three teams in the NFC North. Through eight weeks, the purple and gold carry a 3.5-game advantage over Green Bay and Chicago tied at 3-5 on the year, with Detroit at the bottom of the division with a record of 1-6.
The lead in the NFC North keeps growing by the week for Minnesota, meaning the Vikings are quickly becoming a team that is in control of their own destiny to not only win the division but also return to the postseason in 2022.
Minnesota Vikings Are in Control of Their Own Destiny in Division
Odds to Win Division, Reach Postseason
When it comes to the odds some sites are giving Minnesota in the division, conference, and league at large, many view the Vikings as a team that will not only finish atop the NFC North but also make a run in the playoffs at the end of the regular season.
According to FiveThirtyEight’s 2022 NFL Predictions, the Vikings have a 96 percent chance to reach the playoffs and a 93 percent chance to win the NFC North entering Week 9. Along with those projections, Minnesota has a 12 percent chance to receive a first-round bye in the playoffs and also has a seven percent chance to win the Super Bowl.
Opta Analyst predicts the Vikings will finish atop the NFC North, modeling that Minnesota could finish around the 12-win mark. It predicts the Packers will finish around eight wins, with the Bears coming in with seven victories and the Lions with between five and six wins.
Football Outsider gives the Vikings an 88.6 percent chance to claim the NFC North and a 93.6 percent chance to reach the playoffs in any form.
Many predictions and projections models think Minnesota controls its own destiny in the division, setting itself up for high playoff seed to gear up for a deep postseason run.
Season at a Glance
Already having secured victories in the first matchups of the season against Green Bay, Chicago, and Detroit, the Vikings already hold early advantages in the division with the second and final games against all three of those teams taking place at the end of the regular season. If Minnesota is able to take care of business in those second meetings to sweep the season series against any or all of the division opponents, that will only strengthen the chance the purple and gold end up atop the NFC North.
Regardless, if the Vikings can continue to take care of business against any opponent over the final half of the regular season, they will control their destiny in an attempt to win the division. There are some notable games upcoming for Minnesota that will make or break the season, notably a road showdown against the Washington Commanders in Week 9, a Week 10 road contest against the Buffalo Bills, a Week 11 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys, and a Week 12 meeting against the New England Patriots on Thanksgiving Day.
Following that stretch, Minnesota will round out the regular season at home against the New York Jets in Week 13, on the road against the Lions in Week 14, at home against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 15, and the New York Giants in Week 16, and rounding out the regular season at the Packers in Week 17 and at the Bears in Week 18.
The Vikings have impressed so far in the 2022 campaign, and haven’t shown any signs of slowing down just yet. As the season continues to roll along, Minnesota’s case at winning the NFC North has only continued to grow, and the Vikings are becoming a team that is control of its own destiny at the midway point of the regular season.
