After finishing at 13-4 in the 2022 season, there has been a lot of regression talk for the Vikings. Having gone 11-0 in one-score games is quite the anomaly and moving closer to the mean in that area makes a lot of sense.
As we continue to see analytical models come out projecting the 2023 NFL season, they aren’t viewing the Vikings favorably. The latest of them is ESPN’s Football Power Index. They have the Vikings at 15th in the NFL with a rating of +0.5 (Kansas City has a rating of +6.4 at first overall).
The placement is a peculiar one. They are in a grouping with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Denver Broncos at +0.9, New York Giants at +0.5, New England Patriots at +0.3 and Cleveland Browns at +0.2. That grouping makes a lot of sense when you look at it in a vacuum. They all have a lot of positives, but numerous question marks.
As we look toward the 2023 season, the Vikings continue to be viewed as a fringe playoff team by many.