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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.
How Often Do 12-2 NFL Teams Win The Championship?
A memorable season in Minneapolis and environs got a bit sweeter on Monday night. The Minnesota Vikings Super Bowl odds look even better after the team improved to 12-2 with a 30-12 rout of the Chicago Bears. The Vikes, who have clinched a playoff spot, forged a tie for first place in the four-team NFC North.
Minnesota’s 18-point home win over Chicago moved the club into a five-way tie with the 1969, 1970, 1973 and 1975 Vikings teams with a winning percentage of .857 through 14 games. Only the 1998 squad, which started 13-1 on the way to a 15-1 record, ranks ahead of this year’s team.
At OntarioBets.com, your best bets for Ontario sportsbooks coverage, we used the Champs or Chumps website to see how teams ended up after starting 12-2 since the 2019 NFL season. From 2910-23, only one team started exactly 12-2.
Season Performance of NFL Teams Starting 12-2
Situation | Number of Teams | Percentage* |
Making The Playoffs | 1 | 100% |
Advanced Past Wild Card Round | 1 | 100% |
Winning Divisional Round | 0 | 0% |
Winning Conference Championship | 0 | 0% |
Winning Super Bowl | 0 | 0% |
*Rounded to nearest whole number
A 12-2 start is a rare feat over the past five years, though Minnesota is one of three teams with that mark in 2024, alongside the division rival Detroit Lions and the Philadelphia Eagles.
As of Dec. 17, the Vikings have the sixth best Super Bowl odds (alongside the Green Bay Packers) on DraftKings Ontario Sportsbook, at +1200. That’s behind the Buffalo Bills (+425), Lions and Eagles (+475 each), the Kansas City Chiefs (+600) and the Baltimore Ravens (+800).
Looking forward, the Vikings are three-point favorites at DraftKings over the host Seattle Seahawks on Sunday (4:05 p.m. Eastern time kickoff) as Minnesota looks to potentially jump Detroit atop the division standings. The Lions hold the tiebreaker, having beaten the Vikings 31-29 on Oct. 20. Those two teams end the regular season against each other in Week 18 on Jan. 5 in Detroit.
How Teams Have Fared After a 12-2 Start
In the past five full seasons (2019-23), only the 2019 Baltimore Ravens started exactly 12-2, according to ChampsorChumps.us data. This year, with both Detroit and Minnesota at 12-2, the Lions are a -278 favorite with NorthStar Bets Ontario Sportsbook to win the division despite their loss on Sunday against the Buffalo Bills. The Vikings are listed at +220 to win the division.
The Vikings, Lions and Eagles are all jockeying for the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs and a first-round bye. Only the 13-1 Chiefs, the two-time defending Super Bowl champions, have a better mark.
Five years ago, the Ravens weren’t very fortunate when it came to playoff luck, with the AFC North squad finishing the year 14-2 but falling to the Tennessee Titans, 28-12, in the AFC Divisional Round.
This year, head coach Kevin O’Connell and company have a chance to end the season on a grand note, and reward Ontario sports betting apps backers, beginning with Sunday’s clash in Seattle. Two division games close the regular season – on Dec. 29 at home against the Packers and that Jan. 5 finale in Detroit.
USA Today photo by Jeffrey Becker
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