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Christopher Boan is a writer at OntarioBets.com. He's covered sports and sports betting in Arizona for more than seven years, including stops at ArizonaSports.com, the Tucson Weekly and the Green Valley News.
Who Is The Starting Quarterback For Minnesota Vikings? Week 1 Starter Odds
The Minnesota Vikings have lost their first-round quarterback to a knee injury before the regular season even starts. That forces head coach Kevin O’Connell to go with whatever backup plan he has.
Right now, it seems the plan is to turn the QB1 role over to veteran Sam Darnold. The firmer first-round draft pick has gone 21-35 as a starter in the league with nearly as many interceptions (56) as passing touchdowns (63) to date. That is unlikely to create excitement for Minnesota Vikings betting this season.
OntarioBets.com broke down the latest hypothetical odds on which QB could start Week 1 for the Vikings when they play the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium to open the NFL regular season.
🏈 Sam Darnold off to hot start in MVP race
Minnesota Vikings Week 1 Starting QB Odds
Quarterback | Odds | Percent Chance |
Sam Darnold | -3500 | 97.2% |
Nick Mullens | +4000 | 2.4% |
Jaren Hall | +50000 | 0.2% |
The Field | +75000 | 0.1% |
J.J. McCarthy | - | 0.0% |
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Former Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy was in the mix to perhaps start as a rookie. Minnesota chose McCarthy No. 10 overall in this year’s draft, trading up in the order, presumably with the idea of him starting soon and perhaps right away.
But McCarthy tore his right meniscus and had season-ending surgery, ending his rookie campaign before it even started.
Now, besides Darnold, the Vikings have veteran Nick Mullens, who has gone 5-15 in his NFL career, and former BYU gunslinger Jaren Hall as possibilities under center for Minnesota this season. That is unless they make a move for another team’s quarterback – or grab one off the waiver wire – before the regular season begins.
With that in mind, it’s likely of little surprise to learn that the Vikings are currently dead last on the NFC North odds board at +950 going into the season with bet365 Ontario Sportsbook. That is well behind the Detroit Lions (+130), Green Bay Packers (+200) and Chicago Bears (+330).
Who Starts At QB Minneapolis?
It looks like Darnold will get the starting reps for Minnesota in Week 1, given how little else O’Connell has to choose from. Darnold, former New York Jets, Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers QB, has the most experience in the league out of the bunch.
That’s why we list him as our top candidate at -3500 odds, or a 97.2% implied probability. That’s well ahead of Mullens (+4000) and Hall (+50000) while the field is listed at +75000. We have a guide to betting on the NFL at OntarioBets.com for the popular league.
Vikings fans can only hope Darnold can pick up where he left off when he last was a starter in the league, when he led Carolina to a 4-2 record with seven touchdown passes and three interceptions.
That limited year represented the first time Darnold ended an NFL season with more passing touchdowns than interceptions since he threw 19 TDs to 13 picks for the Jets in 2019 as a 22-year-old second-year pro.
Now, Darnold will likely have the starting QB role to himself in Minneapolis, meaning it’s up to him to get the Vikings in game shape ahead of their Week 1 showdown with the Giants on Sept. 8 to open the regular season.
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USA Today photo by Jeffrey Becker
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