ESPN dropped a prediction this week that’s going to get Bears and Packers fans loud in the comments section. They’re picking the Minnesota Vikings to win the NFC North in 2026. Not finish second. Not sneak into a wild card. Win the whole thing.
At first glance, it sounds like someone in Bristol was bored. But the reasoning actually holds up better than you’d think.
The Vikings spent 2025 spinning their wheels at quarterback. Sam Darnold was fine, then he wasn’t. Then Daniel Jones arrived, and that didn’t fix much either. Minnesota stumbled to a 9-8 finish and got left out of the playoff conversation entirely. Meanwhile, the rest of the North got all the hype. The Lions are the defending division champs. The Packers added Micah Parsons. The Bears spent a billion dollars on defense. All three are being treated as legitimate contenders.
Minnesota? The oddsmakers have them in fourth place. It’s the most ignored team in the division.
A Defense That Deserves More Respect
The actual reason for ESPN’s take has less to do with Kyler Murray — who the Vikings signed this offseason — and more to do with what Brian Flores has built on defense. Minnesota’s defense was legit last year. It ranked top ten in points allowed and yards per play. And unlike some other teams in the division, their success didn’t feel fluky.
Green Bay will be without Micah Parsons for the first half of the season while he recovers from shoulder surgery. That’s a huge blow to a defense that already had issues against the run. Chicago’s 2025 defensive resurgence was fueled by a league-high turnover rate that’s almost impossible to repeat. Regression is coming for the Bears. And Detroit’s secondary is a real concern after losing a couple of key guys in free agency. They’re vulnerable.
Minnesota addressed its biggest weakness by drafting defensive tackles Caleb Banks and Domonique Orange. That plugs the hole that teams ran through last year. If Flores gets production from those two, this defense could be the best in the North by a decent margin.
The Kyler Murray Gamble
Murray isn’t a sure thing. He hasn’t played a full season since 2021. But he’s still only 28 and he’s shown he can be a difference-maker when healthy. The Vikings got him on a deal that won’t cripple them if it doesn’t work out. And they brought in Carson Wentz as a veteran backup, which is smart insurance given Murray’s injury history.
General manager Nolan Teasley spent the offseason clearing out expensive veterans and handing the roster to younger players. Dallas Turner is expected to take a bigger role. The cap space they freed up allowed them to sign Murray without sacrificing depth elsewhere. It was a clean reset, which is rare for a team that was still competitive last season.
Training camp hasn’t even started yet. But the Vikings quietly have the division’s most balanced roster. If Murray gives them league-average quarterback play, the rest of the NFC North might spend January wondering why they dismissed Minnesota so easily.
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