We’ll Soon Know if The Vikings Have Been Lying
As has been commonly pointed out, the NFL is a place where actions speak louder than words. What have the Vikings been telling us with their actions?
Well, one could reasonably step back and conclude that they’re pushing for the Super Bowl. Sure, every team says that in May, but with Minnesota there’s some real gumption to the actions that communicate better than words. We are, after all, discussing a team that went bonkers in free agency, dropping close to $120,000,000 to bring in veteran talent (2nd in the NFL). Not the kind of approach, folks, for a team that isn’t serious about making some noise after their 14-3 season finished in a disappointing manner.
The Vikings, The ’25 Schedule, & The Litmus Test
Early on, there will be challenges. Janik Eckardt passed along the full schedule in an earlier piece on PurplePTSD. Go ahead and check it out (there’s even helpful purple writing for home games!):
Week 1: at Chicago Bears (MNF)
Week 2: vs. Atlanta Falcons (SNF)
Week 3: vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Week 4: at Pittsburgh Steelers (Dublin)
Week 5: at Cleveland Browns (London)
Week 6: BYE
Week 7: vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Week 8: at Los Angeles Chargers (TNF)
Week 9: at Detroit Lions
Week 10: vs. Baltimore Ravens
Week 11: vs. Chicago Bears
Week 12: at Green Bay Packers
Week 13: at Seattle Seahawks
Week 14: vs. Washington Commanders
Week 15: at Dallas Cowboys (SNF)
Week 16: at New York Giants
Week 17: vs. Detroit Lions (3:30 p.m. CT, Christmas)
Week 18: vs. Green Bay Packers
Right off the top, J.J. McCarthy confronts a pair of games in prime time. No pressure, kid.
Vikings fans with a bit of a memory will recall the never-ending debate surrounding Kirk Cousins’ ability to win games after sundown. If McCarthy starts his career 0-2, then those joyous, mind-numbing, always-well-reasoned debates could get fired up all over again.
There’s then the unique experience of travelling overseas for a pair of international games. First, there’s the Steelers in Ireland; second, there’s the Browns in England.
Debate has followed since the announcement of these games, with some insisting that Minnesota is getting a break due to playing in neutral stadiums. Quite likely, folks, that there are more purple jerseys in the stands than any other color. A wild card that’s in the mix is the simple reality of Mr. McCarthy being the one to lead the charge, a sophomore with limited opportunity to acclimate to the various curveballs that the NFL throws at its players.
Basically anything feels possible in these opening weeks. Seeing an 0-5 start to the season would be a surprise, but sitting at 2-3 wouldn’t be. Neither would anything sitting at 3-2 or above be surprising, either. Should we overreact to these games, especially when assessing the youngster who is passing the ball? By no means, and yet they could nevertheless be a good indicator of what’s in store for 2025.
The roster, on paper, appears very strong. Yes, some are a bit skittish about the corners and others have concerns about paying such hearty money to those older defensive tackles. It would be hard to conclude, however, that the current iteration of the Vikings doesn’t look more promising than last year’s Vikings at the exact same time.
The wild card in it all is J.J. McCarthy, the passer whom the Vikings believe can become a strong QB1. But therein lies the uncertainty, folks: there’s only belief, not ironclad proof.
The Vikings are proceeding under the assumption that a loaded offense under the guidance of Kevin O’Connell will allow the 22-year-old McCarthy to flourish early. The great paradox, then, is that McCarthy simultaneously looks like the one uniquely capable of sinking the ship (if he flounders) while nevertheless not being entrusted with propelling the ship forward on his own (due to the strong talent around him).
Challenges are going to arrive for the Vikings in that schedule. We’ll know early on, though, if the Vikings have been lying with their offseason actions about being legit contenders in a strong NFC.
What if J.J. McCarthy Isn’t the Guy?
K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter and Bluesky (@VikingsGazette). If you feel so inclined, subscribe to his Substack, The Vikings Gazette, for more great Vikings content.