Why the Vikings Can Reach the Super Bowl

Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images.

Through five games, the Minnesota Vikings own the seventh-best odds to win Super Bowl LIX and a 5-0 record — a sweet development because the organization was only supposed to win about six or seven games in 2024.

Why the Vikings Can Reach the Super Bowl

Fans debate whether the team has the juice to reach and win the Super Bowl, a fair discussion after the club collapsed from a 6-0 start in 2003 and a 5-0 record in 2016. The franchise has experienced meltdowns before.

However, the Vikings can visit the Super Bowl for the first time in 48 years for one primary reason: the NFC is not inconquerable. Almost all teams can be beaten. Usually, a clear-cut frontrunner in addition to the Vikings is present when Minnesota experiences a winning season.

These are the NFC contending tiers.

The Fraud Contenders

Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images.

Chicago Bears: 3-2

Seattle Seahawks: 3-2

Washington Commanders: 4-1

If the Bears turn out to be legitimate, Caleb Williams is at least one year away from becoming the real deal. Chicago could slip into the playoffs but won’t affect a deep push, at least not yet.

The Seahawks are already crumbling from a 3-0 start, evidenced by a loss to the New York Giants in Week 5.

And the Commanders don’t play defense. They rank 27th in the NFL per defensive EPA/Play. That will catch up to them, particularly if they reach the playoffs.

The Nuisance Contenders

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Atlanta Falcons: 3-2

Dallas Cowboys: 3-2

Green Bay Packers: 3-2

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 3-2

Does anyone expect the Falcons, led by Kirk Cousins, to tunnel far into the postseason with the NFL’s 21-ranked defense? Nope. Cousins’ Falcons are beatable.

The Cowboys disappoint the masses about as much as the Vikings during the last three decades.

Minnesota has already proven that it can beat Green Bay in Wisconsin, and it can do so again. The Buccaneers’ defense, meanwhile, ranks 25th per the aforementioned EPA/Play metric. See the Falcons’ predicament.

All conquerable.

The Flawed Contenders