Bold 2023 Vikings and NFL predictions (part 1)

Afraid of a bad prognostication? Not Purple Insider. Let's guess what's going to happen around in 2023

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By Matthew Coller

Last year I wrote 50 bold predictions about the Minnesota Vikings and the NFL. The results were, well, let’s say mixed. I predicted Christian Darrisaw would be a star. Nailed it. I also predicted the Vikings’ biggest win of 2022 would come over the Dallas Cowboys. Whoops! Such is the life of an NFL prognosticator. So let’s give it another try, this time split into two articles of 25 solid gold predictions each. Here’s Part 1….

1. The Cincinnati Bengals will win the Super Bowl

I can feel the rage increasing from Kansas City Chiefs enjoyers but it’s really, really hard to win the Super Bowl in back-to-back years. The Patriots did it in ‘04 and ‘05 and nobody has won two years in a row since. Let’s also not forget that the Bengals were inches away from a chance to beat the Chiefs in the AFC Championship game and defeated them in 2021 to make The Big Game. They have beefed up on the offensive line and Burrow’s weapons have a case for being the best in the NFL. They’ve been close a number of times in their history, it’s time for Cincy to finally get over the Super Bowl hump.

2. Byron Murphy Jr. will be one of the best signings of the NFL offseason

Little was made of the former Cardinal cornerback coming to Minnesota but he has an opportunity under Brian Flores to fulfill his potential. There were ups and downs and shifts in role, personnel etc. during his time in Arizona and his first four years still featured a lot of solid play. Now he can lock into his spot and, at just 25 years old, continue his development and be a leader on the Vikings’ young defense. Plus he’s only taking up $2.8 million on the cap this year. Bang for buck.

3. The Giants and Dolphins will regress and miss the playoffs

Let us not forget that the Vikings were not the only team to make the postseason with a negative point differential. The Giants were outscored en route to their magical 9-7-1 season. Or at least magical in comparison to recent seasons. They ranked 15th in scoring and 17th in points against and did not any game-changing receivers (outside of tight end Darren Waller). They look like the same team only with Saquon drama. The Dolphins surprised everyone with their Mike McDaniel offense last year but opponents won’t be taken off guard this time around. They could also be a pretty good team and still miss the playoffs because the AFC East is more like AFC Beast.

4. Arizona will pick No. 1 in the 2024 draft (and take Caleb Williams)

The Cardinals’ roster is in brutal shape and they are starting poor Colt McCoy, who doesn’t deserve this. DeAndre Hopkins is gone, they have a complete noob at head coach and I’m not sure they fixed the floorboards in the weight room that the NFLPA survey revealed. Kyler Murray is out with an ACL injury and if things are bad enough they may never bring him back and aim for the next Andrew Luck-level prospect in Williams rather than sticking it out with Murray’s $50 mill per year contract (plus video game costs).

5. Anthony Richardson will run for over 1,000 yards

Jim Irsay has pretty much made it clear that he didn’t draft Anthony Richardson to sit him on the sidelines for a year, even if that might be best for A.R. right now. It’s going to be a rollercoaster but one thing he has going for him is a coach who knows how to work with a running QB. Richardson’s most likely path to evening out some of the early struggles by smashing over people and this Cam Newton-sized fella will probably do it effectively.

6. The Texans will be in the playoff hunt in the final two weeks of the season

Houston actually hired a serious coach in DeMeco Ryans and they have been quietly putting together a club of guys who can play. They added to the secondary and have Robert Woods to help CJ Stroud early on. The AFC is way too tough for the Texans to be playing deep into January but they are going to have some folks saying, “Hey those Texans are on the way,” by the end of the year.

7. Taylor Heinicke will start at least 6 games for the Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons seem to believe in Desmond Ridder. Maybe they will be justified in ignoring other offseason options and sticking with the third-rounder out of Cincinnati. However, if he looks anything like his starts last year, the ex-Viking and Commander will be under center scrambling around with an awesome group of weapons around him.

8. KJ Osborn will have more catches than Jordan Addison

The fantasy world seems to be buying Addison as the clear-cut WR2 but Osborn has been a very reliable weapon for Kirk Cousins for two seasons, which should play into the target share, particularly at the beginning of the season. In the long run Addison has the better pedigree but not every receiver is Garrett Wilson right away. It might take some time to adapt to the size/speed considering Addison is undersized. Nobody’s saying he will bust, this is just about 2023 targets.

9. Bryce Young will win offensive rookie of the year but Roschon Johnson will be in the running

The first part of this isn’t bold at all since Young was the No. 1 overall pick but it isn’t clear cut with three QBs being taken in the first four picks. Johnson was slept upon because he played with Bijan Robinson. Despite being selected in the fourth round opportunity will be there for him to earn playing time right away in Chicago for the 6-foot-2 back who averaged 6.0 yards per carry over the last two years at Texas.

10. Sean Payton will not turn around Russell Wilson and the Broncos will win six games

The Drew Brees arc is being used as evidence that Wilson will return to his old self but that may never happen again in NFL history. Even if a better designed offense helps, there’s no DK Metcalf or Tyler Lockett in Denver and Wilson’s scrambling ability has faded to late-career Donovan McNabb levels. There’s no more magic in the once-great QB, no matter what Payton tries to coax out of him. However, Payton does get free Wal-Mart gift cards for friends and family as the Denver coach, so that’s a nice perk. Nothing else about that job is good.

11. The Detroit Lions will go 12-5 and fans will call themselves “Campbell Crazies”

Let’s be honest: The only reason we don’t buy the Lions is because they are the Lions. They have a quarterback who has won way more than he’s lost and led three top-five offenses, a top-notch No. 1 receiver, a good offensive line, a good offensive coordinator and a defense that they beefed up in free agency and through the draft over the last two years. Everything is lining up for them and the only thing that can get in the way is fate. On second thought…

12. The Saints will run away with the NFC South by 3.0 games

Derek Carr was miserable last season but the Saints low-key got a 95.2 QB rating out of Andy Dalton last year. If Carr played for New Orleans in 2022 they would have won 10 or 11 games. Their defense is still good and Chris Olave is ready to take off as a superstar. It’s hard to see the Falcons with Ridder, the overhauled Panthers or the Baker-Bucs hanging with them.

13. The Vikings’ surprise win will come against the Eagles and surprise loss versus the Broncos

Anything can happen in a short week especially early in the season and let’s not forget that Kirk Cousins did win in Philly in 2018. That game isn’t a foregone conclusion simply because the Eagles are a better overall team. The Vikings face the Broncos right after a big home game against the Saints. It screams letdown.

14. Kevin Stefanski will be fired by the Browns

This one is simple: If DeShaun Watson looks anywhere near as bad as he was last year, it’s over for the former Viking OC.

15. The Jets will make the postseason but Aaron Rodgers will blame someone else for losing in the first round

I’ll never count out a legendary quarterback in their old age. It wouldn’t be shocking if Rodg pulled himself out of a psychedelic stupor to throw 40 touchdowns but the AFC is so stacked with monsters that they could be a good team and still face a monster in the first round. Also possible Rodgers gets mad at the media coverage in New York by Week 5 and hides in a dark room in MetLife Stadium for the rest of the year.

16. Despite a playoff appearance, the Vikings and Kirk Cousins will not have any talks about an extension in March

So much can change in a year. There’s a million examples of that in NFL history. Still, it feels like both parties have decided this is their last promenade together. Cousins likely wants one more big multi-year deal and the Vikings have a bunch of huge extensions to give out that would make it tough to keep a highly-paid, older quarterback. Even if the QB and team know it’s over, Cousins is always and forever Cousins and will likely play well enough to get the Vikings into the playoffs in a weak NFC.

17. The Vikings’ offensive line will improve in pass blocking to the top 15 but they will rank just outside the top 10 in scoring

It’s been a long time since the Vikings brought back all five starters and that chemistry up front matters. With any improvement at all from the guards, they can rank by PFF in the top 15 as a pass blocking unit. However, the offense won’t take a massive step forward unless the O-line jumps up to a top-five group. That might be too bold of a prediction at the moment. Also the score effects of last year artificially bumped them into the top 10 in scoring. This year that won’t happen. They’ll still be good though.

18. The Packers and Bears will miss the playoffs but Jordan Love and Justin Fields will do enough to earn at least one more year from their respective clubs

The Vikings’ NFC North foes badly want things to work out with their QB situations. The Packers put their relationship on the line with Rodgers to draft Love and didn’t go after any other options this offseason so they are going to be patient through the ups and downs of his first year as a starter and roll with him into 2024 unless it’s a complete disaster. The Bears staying with Fields despite having the No. 1 overall pick was a decision that will be analyzed for years and they’re going to stick with that choice until they can’t anymore. Most likely scenario is that both QBs have their ups and downs and neither team is anything special when the dust settles.

19. Sam Howell will throw for 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns

You wanna get nuts? Let’s get nuts. The Commanders seem to really like Howell. While he was a fifth-round pick, there was legit buzz for him the year before he came out in the draft. He has a big arm and some weapons. Calling my shot that he’s the biggest QB surprise this year. You wanted bold, right?

20. Akayleb Evans will be considered the best of the 2022 Vikings draft class

All indications point to the Vikings being excited about Evans’ size and ability to track receivers. His gift for man-to-man coverage could play perfectly with Brian Flores. It’s hard to say exactly how high the bar is going to be for the ‘22 draft though.

21. Will Levis will be starting in Tennessee by Week 8

Why didn’t the Titans trade Ryan Tannehill to a QB-needy team? Tannehill has been beat up in recent years and if Tennessee sputters at all they should just go with their young QB.

22. The 49ers will make the playoffs and still won’t know who their QB is for 2024

Let’s go with 10 Brock Purdy starts, four Trey Lance starts and three Sam Darnold starts and 11 wins. The 49ers then make an offseason play for Kirk Cousins. The Shanahan era has been defined by getting the most out of QBs but if nobody emerges as the clear franchise quarterback it will be time for them to do something aggressive (again).

23. Alexander Mattison will gain 880 yards and catch 40 passes and the Vikings won’t regret cutting Dalvin Cook

Vikings fans might not remember what it’s like to have a RB rotation but Mattison and either Nwangwu or Chandler could be the Latavius Murray/Jerick McKinnon combo that guided the offense in 2017. Mattison’s past shows he can handle the load when called upon but Kevin O’Connell probably wants someone with home run speed to step up as well.

24. Lamar Jackson will be an MVP finalist

Lamar’s receivers and offensive design in the past were tough to watch sometimes. With a new contract in hand, a new offensive mind in charge and Odell motivated to get another contract after this year, Jackson is going to go off.

25. Sean McVay will step away from coaching after missing the playoffs to get $1 billion from Amazon to be a broadcaster

The Rams’ roster is rough outside of some of the usual suspects and this could be Stafford’s last year. McVay should pull the John Madden and step away early, call games and enjoy life.

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