Few people thought the Minnesota Vikings would get off to a hot start this season, neither casual fans nor bettors at Ontario betting sites. The team let quarterback Kirk Cousins go via free agency, drafted J.J. McCarthy as Cousins’ eventual successor and signed journeyman Sam Darnold as the bridge between.
Combine that with early season contests against the defending NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers and last year’s AFC South winner Houston Texans, and it seemed certain coach Kevin O’Connell’s team would have an early blemish on their record. However, with the 2024 NFL season producing an unpredictable start, we find the Vikings, who began last season 0-3, racing to a 5-0 start.
Could this unlikely squad be the first Minnesota team to win the Super Bowl? At OntarioBets.com, your home for Ontario sports betting apps reviews, we used the Champs or Chumps website to see how teams since 2019 ended up the rest of the NFL season after a 5-0 start. There have been 9 teams in the past five seasons that were perfect in their first five contests, according to ChampsorChumps.us data.
Situation | Number of Teams | Percentage* |
Making The Playoffs | 9 | 100% |
Advanced Past Wild Card Round | 3 | 33% |
Winning Divisional Round | 3 | 33% |
Winning Conference Championship | 3 | 33% |
Winning Super Bowl | 0 | 0% |
In the past five seasons, all 9 teams that started 5-0 made the playoffs, with varying degrees of postseason success. None of the teams that started 5-0 since 2020 have won the Super Bowl.
How surprising is Minnesota’s start? Before the season, DraftKings Ontario Sportsbook gave the Vikings odds of +4000 to produce a 5-0 start. DraftKings oddsmakers also gave them odds of +8000 to win the Super Bowl during Week 1 of the season. Those odds now are down to +1100.
According to SportsOddsHistory.com, which uses odds from BetMGM, the Vikings 2024 total wins was set at 6.5 in the preseason, and Minnesota had odds of +1000 to win the NFC North before the season kicked off. After Minnesota's 5-0 start, as of Oct. 7 the BetMGM Ontario Sportsbook gives Minnesota odds of -105 to win the division, and O’Connell is the current favorite at +200 to win Coach of the Year.
Now, before anyone gets too hopeful about the Vikings’ start, let’s give you a word of warning. This is Minnesota’s first 5-0 start since 2016, when the Vikes, under coach Mike Zimmer, reeled off five straight wins to start the season. That team, though, won just three more games, finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs.
For more contemporary team knowledge, especially for wagering, check out our Minnesota Vikings betting guide in Ontario.
For now, Kevin O’Connell’s bunch will look to move to 6-0 for the year after Minnesota’s bye week, with the Vikings hosting the Lions at noon Central time on Oct. 20 in a showdown of two of the NFC’s best teams out of the gate this fall.
Stay updated on Minnesota Vikings playoff chances all season at OntarioBets.com.
USA Today photo by Jeffrey Becker
Author
Steve is an accomplished, award-winning reporter with more than 20 years of experience covering gaming, sports, politics and business. He has written for the Associated Press, Reuters, The Louisville Courier Journal, The Center Square and numerous other publications. Based in Louisville, Ky., Steve has covered the expansion of sports betting in the U.S. and other gaming matters. He shares his expertise on OntarioBets, among other sites.
Cited by leading media organizations, such as:
