Following the release of the 2019 NFL schedule, the Minnesota Vikings are behind the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers as the favorites to win the NFC North next season.
No one is going to argue that the Minnesota Vikings fell very short of their expectations in 2018. A number of people had the Vikings playing in Super Bowl 53 and they didn’t even end up earning a spot in the playoffs.
In addition to missing the postseason last year, Minnesota finished second in the NFC North behind the Chicago Bears, who ended up with a 12-4 record. With no real drastic changes to the rosters within the division this offseason, it’s no surprise that the Bears are favored to win the NFC North again in 2019.
The folks over at Odds Shark currently have Chicago with the best chance (+170) to capture the division next season, followed by the Packers (+200), Vikings (+220), and Detroit Lions (+900).
What is a surprise though is the fact that Green Bay has better odds to win the NFC North in 2019 than Minnesota. The Packers are coming off a six-win season and they have a new head coach in Matt LaFleur, yet they continue to be placed in a favorable light.
Green Bay does have the luxury of having an All-Pro quarterback in Aaron Rodgers. But even Rodgers hasn’t been able to make up for the Packers’ weaknesses on the rest of their roster for the last few seasons.
Now, Green Bay has had a pretty active offseason this year, unlike the Vikings. In an effort to improve their defense, the Packers went out and added pass rushers Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith and safety Adrian Amos this offseason.
What’s interesting about Minnesota’s odds to win the NFC North in 2019 is that it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re also viewed as a team that will miss out on the playoffs next season too. Odds Shark actually has the Vikings tied for the fifth-best odds to win the NFC Championship in 2019.
So Minnesota is still being looked at as a team with a good amount of talent for next season. Oddsmakers just believe that the NFC North is going to be a division that produces three playoff teams in 2019.