Madden 22: Our 2021 NFL season sim results in some wild predictions

Minnesota Vikings

10-7, 1st place in NFC North (No. 4 seed in NFC)

No COVID shot, no problem for quarterback Kirk Cousins. In the Madden simulation, Cousins threw for 3,435 yards and 21 touchdowns. The bigger takeaway here is probably how he limited his turnovers, throwing just six interceptions (half of his 2020 total).

If the Vikings are to win the division, they’ll need to rely on the legs of Dalvin Cook. In Madden 22, he rushed for 1,541 yards and 16 touchdowns which seems about right.

Justin Jefferson sees a bit of a drop in his production for his sophomore year, catching just 61 passes for 825 yards and four touchdowns. That’s down across the board from 2020 (88 rec., 1,400 yards, 7 touchdowns). Adam Thielen’s stats are even more disappointing — 47 receptions, 529 yards and five touchdowns.  There would have to be some sort of injury for this to happen in real life.

On defense, newcomer Patrick Peterson leads the team with five interceptions. The veteran cornerback, entering his 11th NFL season, looks to rejuvenate his career with the Vikings and it seems he will effectively do so. As a unit, the Vikings defense would finish third in points allowed (386) and boast one of the top secondaries with a league-leading 18 combined interceptions.

Let’s be clear, the Vikings aren’t running away with the division. There’s just too much parity between them, the Packers and the Bears. I think it’s possible they could come out on top, but it’s going to come down to the wire. In the simulation, they enter the playoffs as the No. 4 seed in the NFC.