Vikings fans, take note: From seven to 13 wins a slim margin in unpredictable NFL

The law of averages suggests that outcomes tend to even out over time. But the law sure works better when applied to nearly infinite spans of time as opposed to things such as, say, a 16-game NFL season.

The nature of averages and the NFL are both beautifully observed thanks to a recent ESPN.com project using its "Football Power Index," which finds that the NFC North is essentially a three-way tossup between the Vikings, Bears and Packers.

Using the average of 20,000 simulated seasons, all three are projected to win between 8.6 and 8.8 games — and the Vikings are given the slightest of edges over the other two.

But ESPN also isolated on one specific simulation — No. 1,721, according to the website — to project outcomes for all 267 games in the season for the entire NFL. In that one simulation, the Vikings lost 27-13 to the Falcons in Week 1 and went just 7-9 for the season while the Bears went 8-7-1. The Packers dominated the NFC North, going 13-3.

These differences in scale, though — one vs. 20,000 — are fascinating when placed side by side.

And picking just one out of 20,000 reveals a haunting but marvelous truth about sports: The season that actually does happen doesn't necessarily most accurately reflect the composite strengths and weaknesses of teams.

It's a snap shot of randomness, fortunate bounces, magnificent performances and being in the right place at the right time (or wrong place at the wrong time).

The random nature of that reality is particularly true of the NFL, where the 16-game regular season leaves little margin for error between a 10-6 playoff team and a 6-10 team that might get a coach fired.

Major League Baseball has 10 times as many games, the NBA and NHL five times as many. You can recover from one loss in those sports. In the NFL? The accuracy of one kick can put a major dent in a season.

And so maybe your initial reaction to seeing simulation 1,721 is to scoff. If those three teams in the NFC North are so bunched together, how can one jump so far ahead? (And the Packers, no less).

But arriving at an average of between 8.6 and 8.8 wins, as the Vikings, Packers and Bears are projected to have, doesn't mean a bunch of exclusively eight- and nine-win seasons.

Those are probably the most likely, followed by 10- and seven-win seasons, but the outliers — especially in the volatile NFL — matter.

In the NFL, there's not always enough time for things to even out and for the law of averages to take over. Win a few games you weren't supposed to win, and a charmed season could be yours. Lose a couple the other way, and it's hard to catch up.

As interesting as these simulations might seem, though, it will be nice to finally play the real games. The NFL season opens Thursday night, of course, with the Green Bay Packers taking on the Bears in Chicago. Week 1 of simulation 1,721 says Packers 34, Bears 27.

That's just a one-touchdown difference — enough for one bounce to disrupt the whole thing.

And maybe, just maybe, simulation 1,722 has the Vikings winning the Super Bowl.