After Third Straight Win, Vikings Given Seventh-Best Odds to Win Super Bowl 54
- The Vikings moved to 5-2 with a 42-30 victory over the Detroit Lions on Sunday
- Minnesota now has the 7th-best Super Bowl odds at +1600
- Kirk Cousins has feasted on poor defenses on the way to the best 3-game stretch of his career
The Vikings are on the move, with three dominant wins over NFC opponents in the last three weeks.
In those victories, Minnesota has inserted themselves into the Super Bowl conversation, and they now have the seventh-best Super Bowl odds in the NFL.
Super Bowl 54 Odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| New England Patriots | +250 |
| New Orleans Saints | +550 |
| Green Bay Packers | +900 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | +1000 |
| San Francisco 49ers | +1000 |
| Baltimore Ravens | +1400 |
| Minnesota Vikings | +1600 |
| Dallas Cowboys | +1600 |
| Los Angeles Rams | +1600 |
| Indianapolis Colts | +2500 |
*Odds taken 10/21/19
The Vikings odds to win the Super Bowl were at +3600 before this three-game stretch, and they are trending upwards in a big way. It started with a 28-10 win over the Giants, and then the Vikings odds jumped to +1800 after Week 6’s 18-point victory over Philadelphia.
Now at +1600 after the win over the Lions, Minnesota’s Super Bowl odds have jumped drastically in the last month.
Cousins Too Good to be True
The biggest headline of this Vikings’ three-game winning streak has been the success of Kirk Cousins. After some serious locker room concern between Cousins and his receivers earlier in the season, many believe this passing game has found its rhythm.
Kirk Cousins is playing the best football of his career pic.twitter.com/kdV38Z6uft
— Nick Olson (@NickOlsonNFL) October 21, 2019
In the last 3 weeks, Cousins’ number have been out of this world. He’s completing 76% of his throws in this stretch, and he’s racked up 976 yards, along with 10 touchdowns to only 1 interception.
However, the sustainability of this level of play is in question for Cousins. The Giants, Eagles, and Lions pass defenses rank 28th, 17th, and 28th in the NFL respectively, and Minnesota has simply taken advantage of that.
Cousins is playing well, but his history suggests a regression to the mean. His career record is 41-42-2, with a completion percentage of 66.7%, 261.4 yards per game, and a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 142/68, which works out to just over 2-to-1.
Those numbers scream that he is, above all, an average quarterback. Don’t overreact to a hot streak against a few poor secondaries.
Vikings a Valuable Super Bowl Bet?
Minnesota may be on a hot streak, but can they keep it up all the way into February? Much like Cousins against the poor pass defenses, the Vikings have taken advantage of playing a stretch of three poor teams.
Vikings Remaining Schedule
| Week | Opponent | Opponent Record |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | Washington Redskins | 1-6 |
| 9 | @ Kansas City Chiefs | 5-2 |
| 10 | @ Dallas Cowboys | 4-3 |
| 11 | Denver Broncos | 2-5 |
| 12 | BYE | N/A |
| 13 | @ Seattle Seahawks | 5-2 |
| 14 | Detroit Lions | 2-3-1 |
| 15 | @ Los Angeles Chargers | 2-5 |
| 16 | Green Bay Packers | 6-1 |
| 17 | Chicago Bears | 3-3 |
This Vikings hype will likely grow for another week, as the Redskins come to town. However, in the back end of the season, the air will be let out of Minnesota’s tires.
Meetings with the Cowboys, Seahawks, Packers, and Chiefs will be all be games in which the Vikings will likely be underdogs. Even the Bears are better than the types of teams the Vikings are currently feasting on.
There are enough wins left on the schedule that Minnesota has a serious shot at the playoffs. However, once they get there, is this team really good enough to beat, hypothetically, Dallas, Green Bay, or New Orleans in consecutive weeks? As of right now, that’s still unlikely.
With four years as radio host with The Ticket Sports Network and various written contributions to publications such as Fansided, Southbound and Down, and Last Word on Sports, Jake Mitchell comes to SBD with NFL, NBA, NCAAM, NCAAF and MMA know-how you can count on.
