The Minnesota Vikings finished with a 14-3 record during the 2024 NFL season. Minnesota was the fifth seed in the NFC because they did not win the NFC North division.
The Vikings lost to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Wild Card. Minnesota lost to the Detroit Lions and Rams twice last year. In 2025, things are going to look different for Minnesota with J.J. McCarthy under center compared to Sam Darnold. The Vikings are going to have high expectations in 2025. Minnesota has a Super Bowl caliber roster.
NFL Analyst Has Minnesota Vikings Ranked 6th Despite Questions About J.J. McCarthy
Frank Schwab of Yahoo Sports has been ranking his NFL teams before the 2025 NFL season starts. He has the Vikings ranked number six in his power rankings before the 2025 NFL season. With Minnesota finishing with a 14-3 record in 2024, this may not feel like a surprise to some people. There have been some people questioning McCarthy entering the season.
Schwab said about the Vikings being ranked so high,
“The Vikings showed last season that their foundation is strong. Kevin O’Connell has shown he is one of the NFL coaches who can elevate whatever roster he is given to work with, especially at quarterback, and his 2023 hire of defensive coordinator Brian Flores changed Minnesota’s defense. Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison (who could face a suspension after pleading to a lesser offense following being arrested on suspicion of DUI), T.J. Hockenson and Aaron Jones are very good skill-position players around the quarterback position. The offensive line got some huge upgrades in free agency, and getting left tackle Christian Darrisaw back from a knee injury will be big, even if the Vikings take it slow with Darrisaw and he misses the beginning of the season.
There are some tangible reasons, aside from the quarterback change, to believe the Vikings don’t come close to 14 wins again. They won eight of nine games decided by one possession, which was a bit lucky. The schedule gets tougher. Maybe opponents finally have a plan to beat Flores’ hyper-aggressive approach.
But the Vikings were a good team last season. Assuming McCarthy isn’t a total bust, they should be pretty good again, even if nobody seems to be projecting that to be the case.”
One of the biggest questions with Minnesota should not be McCarthy, but it should be the offensive line. This was one of the biggest moves this franchise made during the offseason. After Darnold was sacked many times against Los Angeles, this was the proper move for the Vikings in order to improve the trenches.
There is a lot of talent on the Vikings roster. There is no doubt that they will have the best chance to end the Lions potential three-peat of winning the NFC North division crown. Minnesota should be a playoff team in 2025 as long as McCarthy plays up to standards.
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