The Vikings’ 2025 Season Will Be a Success If … | 7 Writers Fill-In the Blank
The Vikings’ 2025 season seems capable of several possibilities.
Going all the way to the Super Bowl strikes most as being supremely unlikely and yet there’s little denying that the roster is loaded. So, too, is the coaching staff formidable. Getting into the playoffs and doing damage once there feels like a reasonable expectation.
And yet there’s a nagging sense of doubt, isn’t there? For starters, there’s the starter at quarterback. J.J. McCarthy appears to be someone who can shine early, but that’s merely an appearance. Soon, reality — good, bad, or somewhere in the middle — is going to arrive. And then there’s the thin corner position, another subject that inspires at least some negativity.
To help gain a clearer understanding of what a good season will look like, I reached out to the writers who keep content on Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. The prompt was as follows: “Fill-in the blank with somewhere around 1-3 sentences — The Vikings’ 2025 Season Will Be a Success If: _____________.”
The Vikings’ 2025 Season Will Be a Success If…
Dustin Baker, Vikings Territory
Their rushing offense climbs into the Top 12 or Top 15 per efficiency and J.J. McCarthy avoids playing like an utter buffoon, which he will not. It will also be nice if the cornerbacks are the real deal.
Janik Eckardt, PurplePTSD
If J.J. McCarthy shows he can be a franchise quarterback. That would certainly be beneficial for the 2025 results, but much more important is that the franchise is set up well for many years to come. Only teams with franchise QBs are annual contenders in the NFL and it’s time the Vikings find one.
Ted Schwerzler, Vikings Territory
J.J. McCarthy leans into Kevin O’Connell. McCarthy brings a higher bar than Sam Darnold gave the Vikings head coach a season ago. If the new starter can make adjustments and lean into his head coach, then good things will happen.
Adam New, Vikings Territory
The Vikings win a playoff game. Lofty expectations for a team with a quarterback that’s never played a competitive game, but a team has been built in Minnesota to compete and Kevin O’Connell needs that first postseason win.
Josh Frey, PurplePTSD/Vikings Territory
J.J. McCarthy looks like a top-15 quarterback.
Obviously, there will be some growing pains for McCarthy during his first season as a starter. We should expect there to be struggles throughout the early portions of the season, but we should also see signs of growth from McCarthy as the season wears on. As long as it looks like McCarthy can contribute to wins at the NFL level rather than be the reason for losses, this season is a success in Minnesota.
Cole Smith, PurplePTSD/Vikings Territory
As much as we’d love to see the Vikings go all the way to the Super Bowl in 2025 (which is possible), more important is the development of J.J. McCarthy. The statistical milestones may not matter as much, as Sam Darnold threw for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns before being allowed to leave via free agency. But McCarthy’s command of the offense, ability to allow the offensive weapons to prosper, and composure in big moments may be more important long-term than any win-loss outcome in 2025.
K. Joudry, PurplePTSD/Vikings Territory
Last and likely least, my own answer.
The Vikings’ 2025 season will be a success if Brian Flores makes the NFL regret not hiring him to be a head coach. Across two seasons, Flores has proven to be a very good defensive coordinator. Excellent, even. What’s needed is elite. Seeing Flores push his side of the ball into the range where it can takeover games — covering up for some growing pains for Mr. McCarthy in the process — then Minnesota will end up being happy with how 2025 unfolds.
