Five NFL teams poised to take major fall in 2023: Vikings, Seahawks among those primed for regression

The 2022 NFL season was certainly full of surprises as the league had seven new playoff teams from the previous season. Such is parity in the NFL and it’s what makes the offseason intriguing. It should be similar next season, as teams push to become one of the 14 playoffs teams in 2023 — while getting a leg up on some of the fringe playoff teams that were surprising the year prior. 

There are always teams that fall from grace over one season to the next, whether that’s from a few wins or a full implosion. Each year a team doesn’t perform up to expectations or undergoes a rebuild in the hopes of building a winner for the next season and beyond. Quite a few teams in the NFL appear to be leaning that way this offseason. 

Before free agency and the draft hits, here’s a look at five teams that could be poised to take a step backwards in 2023. Of course offseason moves can change all this, but this is going off 2022 results and an offseason outlook. 

The Vikings were quite the surprise in Kevin O’Connell’s first year at the helm, winning 13 games and cruising through the NFC North en route to the No. 3 seed and a playoff appearance. There was always something missing with the Vikings, however. They were the 28th ranked defense in points allowed, the 31st ranked defense in yards allowed, and had a minus-3 (-3) point differential.

Minnesota was the first 13-win team to finish with a negative point differential, so they were an easy target to be a one-and-done in the playoffs (which is exactly what happened). The Vikings were 11-0 in the regular season in one-score games, setting an NFL record in the process. Can Minnesota really bank on that happing again in 2023?

The Vikings made…