Per NFL Analyst, Vikings Need Brian Flores “Magic” to Avoid Purgatory
The Vikings need several things to go well in 2026 to avoid yet another humdrum season. At least some skepticism exists about Minnesota’s capacity to get there.
Austin Mock of The Athletic is one such skeptic, at least as it relates to how his predictive model sees things. “But who are the real contenders?” Mock begins his piece. “Let’s turn to my NFL Projection Model to see which teams have the goods to challenge for a Super Bowl in 2026.” Running through his process means plopping the Vikings down at 18th overall.
Vikings Need Some “Magic” Lest They Plateau at Average
Consider a few basic details to clarify where things stand.
Last year, the Vikings got close to the playoffs but couldn’t make it into the final tournament. Dropping down to 4-8 essentially killed the chance at the postseason, a reality that held even as the final record showed a much more promising 9-8 win/loss tally.
The NFL boasts 32 teams, with the top 14 getting into the playoffs. Each conference, the AFC and NFC, sends 7 teams. The top team per conference gets a bye while the remaining half dozen need to square off in single-game elimination contests. Moreover, note that each division sends an automatic playoff team while the final trio of slots per conference belong to wild card teams.
All of those basics are precisely that: basic to most NFL fans. The point is to offer a reminder to those who know the league and an explanatory guide to newcomers. And then the broader point: the Vikings need to prove better than 18th overall to get into the playoffs.
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— READ MORE: Kevin O’Connell Talks Emergency QB Add —
Check out how Mock describes the process behind his model:
My model has compiled all the rosters as they stand after the NFL Draft and ranked them from best to worst. To do this, the model uses various metrics and assigns a projection to each player to show their impact on a single game. Of course, positional value is quite important, which means, for example, that quarterback Josh Allen is worth a lot more to his team than running back Bijan Robinson, even though both sit atop their respective positions.
Scroll down to the 18th spot to see where the Vikings get listed:
Adding Kyler Murray for cheap was a great move, but Murray is still dealing with an offensive line that grades out as average. The Vikings’ wide receivers rank 12th, but that could be influenced by last season’s poor quarterback play (the receivers have had some issues with drops, too).
On defense, my model does not like that Minnesota traded linebacker Jonathan Greenard, as every position group besides cornerback (No. 16) ranks 20th or worse. Brian Flores, work your magic.
No doubt, the decision to move from Jonathan Greenard creates issues. He’s not without peer in the NFL but he’s a very good player. Andrew Van Ginkel needs to stay healthy while Dallas Turner needs to take a large step forward (something Greenard anticipates).
Of note, of course, are the adds to the front seven. Brian Flores is going to lean on all of Caleb Banks, Domonique Orange, and Jake Golday (among others) to continue terrorizing opposing passers. The strategy isn’t guaranteed to work, but there’s a plan in place for the wizard of a defensive coordinator.
Where there’s more uncertainty is on offense, an ironic reality given that Kevin O’Connell enters his fifth season as the team’s skipper. The Vikings need the head coach to extract excess value out of his players in the same way that Brian Flores does on his side of the ball.
Mock emphasizes Kyler Murray, evidently persuaded that the newcomer is going to start. Maybe that does occur; after all, that’s the leading theory around the NFL (and within the Twin Cities). But, to be sure, there’s a reason why a competition is going to take place.
Football is a dynamic, not static, sport, meaning that J.J. McCarthy proving to be far better than previously shown will change the water on the purple beans.
Seeing the receivers shine is largely contingent on the play at QB and the OL, as the above quotes suggest. Indeed, the best way to undermine a weapon as dangerous as Justin Jefferson is to attack someone other than Jefferson. Consistently walloping the quarterback is the best, most effective way to ensure Jefferson can’t torch a secondary. The Vikings need to understand that issue (they do) while then arriving at solutions (less certain).
The NFL schedule is going to arrive this week. More specifically, the day is Thursday, May 14th. Better understanding how the games unfold will then lead to being able to better predict whether the Vikings continue as an average football team.
