National radio host is extremely optimistic about the Vikings in 2022

Fox Sports’ Colin Cowherd believes the Minnesota Vikings will surpass the Green Bay Packers and win the NFC North during the 2022 season.

Heading into the 2022 season, it’s difficult to really determine how well the Minnesota Vikings are going to perform.

The Vikings only won eight games during the 2021 campaign, but five of their nine losses last season were by four points or less. If a few things break differently last year, Minnesota could have definitely ended up with a spot in the playoffs.

But the Vikings missed out on the 2021 postseason and it resulted in the team firing head coach Mike Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman. With the new regime bringing a more modern approach, will Minnesota win enough games during the 2022 season to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2019?

Colin Cowherd believes the Minnesota Vikings can win 13 or 14 games in 2022

Kevin O’Connell is now the head coach of the Vikings and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has taken Spielman’s old position as the team’s general manager.

Despite the major changes to their staff, Minnesota didn’t make too many significant roster changes this offseason, and the majority of their core players from the 2021 campaign are back for the upcoming season.

For some, this seems like an odd strategy. But for others, like Fox Sports’ Colin Cowherd, it’s exactly what the Vikings needed in order to become a contender in the NFC.

On a recent episode of “The Colin Cowherd Podcast”, the longtime radio host shared his thoughts on what Minnesota could be capable of in 2022.

"“I think Kirk Cousins is going to have a big year. I think the Vikings are going to have an exceptional year. And I’m going to go out on a limb. 13-4 or 14-3 [next season].I know you think I’m out of my mind. [But I] don’t trust the Bears, don’t trust the Lions, and [the Vikings] have always, since Kirk Cousins has been there, they have always played Aaron Rodgers straight up.”"

Cowherd is right about one thing, and that’s that he is definitely going out on a limb. He is likely one of the few, if not the only, national sports analysts that is predicting the Vikings to win 13 or 14 games next season.

He clearly believes the addition of a younger, more friendly head coach in O’Connell is going to make a huge difference for Minnesota.

Is Cowherd’s prediction realistic? Probably not, but it’s also not impossible at the same time. If he’s right though, Vikings fans are going to be a lot happier about their favorite team than they have been during the last few seasons.