In their first season with Kevin O’Connell as their head coach, will the Minnesota Vikings capture their first NFC North title since 2017?
It’s been a while since the Minnesota Vikings were last able to finish a regular season as the top team in the NFC North.
After the Vikings won the division in two of Mike Zimmer’s first four years with the team, they’ve now gone four straight seasons without a first-place finish.
In these last four years, the Green Bay Packers have won the NFC North three times, and the Chicago Bears earned a random division title in 2018. Minnesota has finished in second place in the NFC North three times in the last four years.
Heading into the 2022 season, many still believe the Packers will remain at the top of the division. However, there are some who think Kevin O’Connell can lead Minnesota to an NFC North title in his first year as the franchise’s head coach.
O’Connell and the Vikings will get a test early as they will open up the 2022 season with a matchup against Green Bay inside U.S. Bank Stadium. Will these be the two teams battling for the NFC North crown this year or will we see a surprise run made by the Bears or Detroit Lions?
Let’s see if we can predict how the division will shake out this season and whether or not Minnesota can win the NFC North for the first time since 2017.