According to the formula used by Sharp Football Analysis, the Minnesota Vikings are currently projected to have the 10th-easiest schedule in the NFL next season.
Having never been a head coach at any level before, new Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell will likely experience some growing pains in his first season with the team in 2022.
It may be easier to deal with some of those growing pains, however, if O’Connell can lead the Vikings back to the playoffs for just the second time since 2017. Minnesota’s owners believe the team is capable of a postseason run in 2022. Will they be proven right?
Helping the Vikings‘ chances of making the playoffs next season is that they are currently projected to have one of the easiest schedules in the NFL.
Minnesota Vikings currently have the 10th-easiest schedule in the NFL
According to Sharp Football Analysis, Minnesota’s 2022 schedule will be easier than more than two-thirds of the league. Based on their formula that utilizes the projected win totals from Vegas oddsmakers, Sharp Football Analysis currently has the Vikings with the 10th-easiest schedule in 2022.
The Chicago Bears are the only team from the NFC North that is projected by Sharp Football Analysis to have an easier schedule than Minnesota next season.
Last year, Sharp Football Analysis had the Vikings with the 17th-easiest schedule in the NFL. Minnesota went on to finish with the 19th-best record in the league last season.
Of the 10 teams who were projected to have the easiest schedules by Sharp Football Analysis in 2021, five of them went on to make the playoffs. At the same time, four of the other five teams wound up finishing in last place in their division.
So having what is believed to be an easy schedule is certainly no guarantee that the Vikings will snap their playoff drought next season. But it should at least make the 2022 campaign a little less difficult for O’Connell in his first year with Minnesota.