Author
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 8-2 NFL Teams Win The Championship?
Whatever semblance of nerves were developing in Minneapolis about the local NFL team appear to be subsiding, both for fans and Ontario sports betting backers.
The Minnesota Vikings are back on the right track after a two-game losing streak; they have defeated the Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans in successive weeks and are now 8-2 in the 2024-25 NFL season. The Vikings went 4-0 against AFC South opposition this season, as they also own a 34-7 victory over Houston on Sept. 22. Minnesota also defeated the New York Jets, so Sunday's win over the Titans capped a perfect 5-0 mark against AFC teams. From here on, it's nothing but competition within its own conference for Minnesota.
This weekend, Minnesota concludes a three-week road run against the NFC North rival Bears in Chicago (noon Central on Sunday) at Soldier Field. DraftKings Ontario Sportsbook has Kevin O’Connell’s team as a 3.5-point road favorite in the contest, to go with a -170 moneyline on the visitors from the Land of 10,000 Lakes.
At OntarioBets.com, we used the Champs or Chumps website to see how teams ended up after starting their season 8-2 since the 2019 NFL season. There have been 11 teams in the past five seasons that have won eight of their first 10 games.
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Season Performance of NFL Teams Starting 8-2
Situation | Number of Teams | Percentage* |
Making The Playoffs | 11 | 100% |
Advanced Past Wild Card Round | 8 | 73% |
Winning Divisional Round | 3 | 27% |
Winning Conference Championship | 1 | 9% |
Winning Super Bowl | 1 | 9% |
*Rounded to nearest whole number
Ontario sportsbook apps customers have almost two more months of regular-season NFL action to enjoy. On Sunday, Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold, whose resurgence this season has mirrored that of his team, threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as Minnesota won despite only gaining 82 rushing yards.
Minnesota's run defense was even better than Tennessee's, as the Titans only gained 33 yards on the ground. The Vikings outgained the Titans 318-294 in all.
The Vikings earned their eighth win of the season to remain a game behind the Detroit Lions in the NFC North standings with seven regular-season games to play.
The Vikings have +2500 odds to win February’s Super Bowl at NorthStar Bets Ontario Sportsbook.
How Have Recent 8-2 Teams Fared?
And as the data above shows, the odds of going to the playoffs are extremely favorable for the Vikings. All 11 teams that have started exactly 8-2 since 2019 have gone to the postseason. Only one appeared in the Super Bowl but that team, the 2022 Kansas City Chiefs, lifted the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
The Vikings have not won a postseason game since the 2019 season, but the odds of them advancing this year are good if history is any guide. Of the 11 teams that started 8-2 in the past five seasons, eight of them (or 73%) advanced out of the Wild Card round. And three (27%) won in the Division Round to reach the conference championship game. That speaks to the good tidings that usually follow taking care of business as a team out of the gate.
That’s exactly what the Vikings will look to do again in the Windy City on Sunday afternoon, as O’Connell and company look to improve Minnesota’s odds to win the NFC North. DraftKings has the club at +425 to win the four-team division this season, behind the Lions (-450). Detroit, at 9-1, is the new Super Bowl favorite with DraftKings, at +350 odds.
Follow along with our Minnesota Vikings playoff chances page for more details.
USA Today photo by Jeffrey Becker
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