The Vikings as NFC North Champions (and Other Things that Won’t Happen in 2025)
The Vikings as NFC North champions seemed possible coming into 2025. No longer.
After dropping the Week 11 game 19-17 to the Bears, the Vikings are sitting at 4-6. The record puts them at last place in the division. Sitting atop the pile are the 7-3 Bears, the 6-3-1 Packers, and the 6-4 Lions. Overcoming all three of those teams — which is to say nothing of the NFC’s other competent teams — appears supremely unlikely. What else has gone up in smoke?
The Vikings as NFC North Champions Battling to Stay Relevant
#1 — Ironclad Certainty at Quarterback
At the top, I’ll acknowledge my own opinion: I remain among those who believes that J.J. McCarthy will develop into a franchise quarterback. What remains to be seen is how much pain there’s going to be on the journey toward arriving at that destination.
Minnesota’s young QB1 is now sitting at 2-3. He’s completing a horrendous 52.9% of his passes for a very, very modest 842 yards across five games. The touchdowns are sitting at 6 and the interceptions are sitting at 8.
In theory, McCarthy could show huge growth in the coming weeks, inspiring ample confidence in his capacity to be the solution for the long term. The likeliest outcome, however, is ongoing uncertainty. So much got invested in the roster to avoid the present moment, but this is where the Vikings are at going into Week 12.
#2 — Justin Jefferson as an All Pro
With McCarthy tossing the football, Justin Jefferson puts up just pretty good statistics. Nowhere close to the elite production that has come to characterize his career since getting chosen at No. 22 in the 2020 NFL Draft.
With 747 yards, Jefferson is 7th in the NFL in receiving yardage. Taming Jefferson is near impossible for a defense; the one who goes by “Jets” can be kept on the tarmac when the quarterback is missing his WR1 with consistency.
On the current trajectory, Justin Jefferson will be sent to the Pro Bowl but not be an All Pro. He has 56 catches, 747 yards, and 2 touchdowns. At the very least, push Jefferson beyond his 1,000 yards and then proceed from that statistical benchmark. There is zero meaningful success unless the McCarthy/Jefferson on-field relationship gets solved.
#3 — Snapping the Playoff Curse
Not too much to discuss on this one, folks.
Back in 2008, the Vikings made the playoffs with Brad Childress leading the team. The season afterwards, Brett Favre came to town, leading to an oh-so-close push for the Super Bowl.
Since then, there hasn’t been a Vikings team to get into the playoffs in consecutive seasons. Leslie Frazier, Mike Zimmer (alongside endless OCs), and Kevin O’Connell have all tried. Coach O’Connell will need some form of wizardry to get Minnesota into the playoffs to end 2025.
Short of magic, the Vikings will be looking toward 2026 & 2027 to begin stitching playoff appearances — note the multiple — together rather than just the ceaseless back-and-forth of the past pair of decades.
#4 — Robust Roster Reinforcements Being Enough
GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah wasn’t shy.
With (near) universal applause, Adofo-Mensah spent huge money on the offensive line and the defensive line. So, too, were several key players brought back on meaty contracts: Byron Murphy, Aaron Jones, and so on.
Minnesota understood that rolling with a 22-year-old with zero NFL experience beyond practice and the preseason would lead to bumps in the road. Possessing ample talent would smooth things over while filling in the various potholes. Makes sense, right?
The theory was sound but the reality hasn’t been. J.J. McCarthy has struggled and the roster hasn’t been good enough. Neither, for that matter, has the coaching been good enough.
The whole franchise possesses at least some portion of the 4-6 record. Accordingly, the whole franchise will need to find a solution moving forward.
