3 Vikings Trends That Need to End in 2025
The vibes around this Minnesota Vikings football club seem to be at an all-time high, and that simple fact could pay dividends as we traverse the landscape of the 2025 NFL regular season.
Along the way, the Vikings could do some narrative-silencing with J.J. McCarthy at the helm. Let’s take a look at three trends over the past couple of years that need to come to an end if these Vikings are to make the most of 2025, their second possible year at having a franchise QB on a rookie-scale contract, as opposed to a contract worth $40-$50 million annually.
1. The KOC-Era Vikings Lack a Legitimate Rushing Attack
Let’s take a look at the finishes amongst the NFL of the Minnesota Vikings’ total rushing offense since Kevin O’Connell took over head coaching duties from Mike Zimmer in 2022:
- 2022: 27th; 97.1 rushing yards per game
- 2023: 29th; 91.4 rushing yards per game
- 2024: 19th; 109.1 rushing yards per game
Most recently, it seems that the Vikings have made progress on their running game, but the fact of the matter is that Sam Darnold inflated the numbers a little bit; his 212 rushing yards in 2024 was 90 yards more than Kirk Cousins had during the first two years of the KOC-era in 2022 and 2023 combined, where Cousins had 122 rushing yards between the two years.
Aaron Jones’ production wasn’t much more than Dalvin Cook had in his declining years with the Vikings, and Ty Chandler and Cam Akers provided a mediocre supporting cast. Alexander Mattison’s starting opportunity in 2023 was a disaster, as we all know.
Now that Jordan Mason is in town to split rushing duties with the aging Jones, and a brand new offensive interior line, the Minnesotan running game is primed to be the best it has ever been since O’Connell got to the Twin Cities, and they’ll need it to help take pressure off of J.J. McCarthy.
2. The Vikings Haven’t Beaten Detroit Since September of 2022
The days of the Vikings beating up on the little-brother Lions are long gone; in fact, those days will have been over for over three years by the next time these teams play each other in November later in 2025.
Since their last victory over the Lions on September 25th, 2022, the purple team is 0-5 against the Motor City Kitties, also meaning that O’Connell’s career record versus Lions head coach Dan Campbell is 1-5. Going back even further, the Vikings haven’t won a game on the road at Ford Field since January 3rd, 2021.
Even with all of that said, the Vikings are still 80-45-2 against the Lions across all matchups between the two storied franchises, but the NFL is a “what have you done for me lately?” league, and all the Vikings have done against the Lions for the better part of three years is lose.
3. The Vikings Have Never Won a Super Bowl
Sorry to pull this one, but it would be pretty cool, right?
