At long last, the start of the 2026 NFL regular season is upon us, and the Minnesota Vikings will kick off the new year this Sunday in the friendly confines of U.S. Bank Stadium with a rivalry matchup against the Green Bay Packers.
While longtime Vikings fans may know this, some may not be aware that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the last time Minnesota made the Super Bowl, with the team taking a 32-14 loss to the legendary John Madden and his then-Oakland Raiders to close out the 1976 season in Super Bowl 11.
That was actually their third loss in the title game in four years, as the Vikings also lost Super Bowl 8 to the Miami Dolphins and Super Bowl 9 to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Minnesota has made six appearances in the NFC Championship Game since then, with each and every one ending in defeat.
The Vikings are one of a dozen teams never to have hoisted the Lombardi Trophy, and NFL oddsmakers certainly don't seem to believe they'll be doing so come February, as Minnesota enters the 2026 campaign tied for the 18th-best odds to win Super Bowl 61.
Minnesota Vikings have the 18th-best overall odds and the ninth-best odds among NFC teams to win Super Bowl 61
Here's a quick look at the Super Bowl 61 odds for all 32 teams, as well as the odds for each club to represent their respective conferences in the Big Game, which will take place on February 14, 2027, at SoFi Stadium, home of the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers.
Team | Super Bowl 61 | AFC | NFC |
|---|---|---|---|
Los Angeles Rams | +500 | — | +290 |
Buffalo Bills | +1000 | +500 | — |
Baltimore Ravens | +1000 | +520 | — |
Seattle Seahawks | +1200 | — | +600 |
Kansas City Chiefs | +1600 | +780 | — |
Philadelphia Eagles | +1700 | — | +850 |
Los Angeles Chargers | +1700 | +830 | — |
Cincinnati Bengals | +1800 | +850 | — |
New England Patriots | +1800 | +870 | — |
Houston Texans | +1800 | +870 | — |
Detroit Lions | +1900 | — | +930 |
San Francisco 49ers | +1900 | — | +950 |
Green Bay Packers | +2000 | — | +1050 |
Denver Broncos | +2000 | +970 | — |
Chicago Bears | +2400 | — | +1250 |
Dallas Cowboys | +2500 | — | +1250 |
Jacksonville Jaguars | +3000 | +1500 | — |
Minnesota Vikings | +5000 | — | +2400 |
Pittsburgh Steelers | +5000 | +2400 | — |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers | +5500 | — | +2200 |
Washington Commanders | +6000 | — | +3000 |
Indianapolis Colts | +6000 | +3000 | — |
New York Giants | +7000 | — | +3500 |
New Orleans Saints | +9000 | — | +4000 |
Carolina Panthers | +9000 | — | +4000 |
Tennessee Titans | +13000 | +5500 | — |
Atlanta Falcons | +13000 | — | +5200 |
Las Vegas Raiders | +15000 | +6600 | — |
New York Jets | +20000 | +9000 | — |
Cleveland Browns | +20000 | +9000 | — |
Miami Dolphins | +35000 | +16000 | — |
Arizona Cardinals | +50000 | — | +20000 |
As you can see, the Vikings enter the new campaign with +5000 odds to win the Super Bowl and +2400 odds to reach the title game.
As mentioned, overall, they're tied for the 18th-best odds with the Steelers, and they only rank ninth among NFC teams, trailing the Los Angeles Rams, Sam Darnold and the defending champion Seattle Seahawks, Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers, Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears, and Dallas Cowboys.
While obviously not ideal numbers, they're actually the best Minnesota has seen over the past seven months. In the immediate aftermath of the Seahawks' win over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 60, we took a way-too-early look at the odds for Super Bowl 61, and at that time, the Vikings sat at +6000.
We looked again in mid-March when they signed quarterback Kyler Murray, and while they didn't improve much, they did at least improve to +5500, which is also where they stood just after the 2026 NFL Draft.
So, again, the +5000 odds are an improvement, even if they've been trailing those same eight teams throughout the offseason.
Murray, of course, replaces J.J. McCarthy under center and is expected to bring back the magic the Minnesota offense had in 2024 with Darnold. And he'll have an even better receiving corps than Darnold did, as Jauan Jennings has been added to the mix alongside Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and T.J. Hockenson.
When healthy, Murray is solid, as he's thrown for at least 3,700 yards and 20 touchdowns in every season in which he's played more than 11 games. But as he's only played more than 11 games in four of his seven seasons, there are naturally concerns.
Defensively, the Vikings undoubtedly have the personnel to be a top-10 unit, and bringing DC Brian Flores back was obviously a major move for Minnesota this offseason after the initial fear that he'd be out the door, getting another shot as a head coach.
The pieces are in place for the Vikings to have a solid season, and perhaps these Super Bowl odds, along with the fact that not many people are giving them much of a shot to succeed, can serve as some bulletin-board material.
All betting odds courtesy of DraftKings. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. The content in this article should not be considered betting advice. Gambling involves risk, and one should only gamble with funds that one can comfortably afford to lose. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
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