As a Vikings fan, declaring any situation “minimum” is always a dangerous proposition. After all, this is a team that once “missed” a draft pick, became the subject of national ridicule, and had its stadium roof collapse, becoming the perfect symbol of a bad season. Coincidentally, that same season, a head coach quickly burned through goodwill in record time. It remains to be seen whether that record will hold up beyond the end of this season.
Since joining DN as a contributor, I’ve always taken a glass-half-full approach to our favorite team. Optimism is preferable in life. However, I’m not naive, I’ve acknowledged the real problem and at least given a nod to the worst case scenario. Maybe I was too reluctant to see the warning signs; I admit it. reject? This works too.
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After last Sunday’s tough loss against the Seahawks, it’s time to change perspective. Enough is enough. I don’t care if we run the table (spoiler: we won’t). Things need to drastically change this offseason. What we’ve seen in 12 games has been shocking, confusing and frustrating. Even the most cynical and emotional Vikings fan could not imagine what was happening. Well, maybe a few. But rarely. It’s just that bad.
The Minnesota Vikings are the only team to let you down in 10 different ways in 10 different seasons. This is indeed surprising.
2026 will be crucial
While KAM and KOC won the 2026 season to turn things around, the casino money they used disappeared. That ship has sailed. It’s now or never. Fish or cut bait. Feel free to add any clichés you like. Everything from the front office to the entire offense to special teams — scouting, schemes, game planning, play calling (and their responsibilities) — must be scrutinized. Once the season mercifully ends in early January and the clock starts ticking, the excuses disappear and there is no room for error. We have to make the playoffs.
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The Vikings have spent more than $200 million in guaranteed money over the past two offseasons, much of it before the current 4-8 season. For an investment like this, you’d expect an all-star cast to star in a feel-good drama with a protagonist who faces some manageable challenges and ends up with love, a dream job, and tears of joy as the end credits roll. Instead, we ended up with a horror movie crossover, with Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, and Freddy Krueger slashing at the collective hopes and dreams of Vikings fans.
To quote Jerry Glanville, the NFL “won’t last long” when things go wrong. This is the textbook definition of a “what have you done for me lately” career. The KOC’s overall record could very well go from 34-17 with no playoff wins to 40-28 or (close your eyes, kids) 38-30 with no playoff wins.
In January, Jay Glazer reported that teams were interested in trading our head coach. Now, some fans are calling for him to be fired. When you play in America’s most popular sports league, life can happen to you quickly.
One thing every fan can agree on? We deserve a break. Someone born on the date of the Vikings’ last Super Bowl appearance will turn 49 next month. The Carolina Panthers, founded in 1995, have made two appearances. This season will be the 16th consecutive time without back-to-back playoff berths. We have just five playoff wins this century, one fewer than the New York Jets and three fewer than the aforementioned Panthers. But hey, we do have one more team than the Jacksonville Jaguars!
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Right place, wrong reality
I believe my current humorous 12-5 prediction is made with the best of intentions. I’ve written extensively about JJ McCarthy (e.g., here and here ) and why I believe a 2024 Jayden Daniels-Bo Nix season or a 2023 CJ Stroud campaign are likely – no need to revisit that.
But I also did extra due diligence. Obviously, I know Brad Childress and Mike Zimmer are both in their fourth seasons playing in the NFC Championship Game. However, I think it’s wise to look at how other current coaches performed in the same year.
Mike Tomlin (2010): 12-4 (reached Super Bowl)
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John Harbaugh (2011): 12-4 (reached AFC Championship Game)
Andy Reid (2016): 12-4 (reached divisional round)
Sean McVay (2020): 10-6 (advanced to divisional round)
Sean McDermott (2020): 13-3 (Added to AFC Champions League)
Kyle Shanahan (2020): 6-10* (Missed the playoffs)
Matt LaFleur (2022): 8-9 (missed playoffs)
Zac Taylor (2022): 12-4 (Added to AFC Champions League)
Nick Sirianni (2024): 14-3 (Super Bowl winner)
*Kyle Shanahan goes 6-10 due to madness 166.6 Adjusted Game (AGL) For losses due to injury or the pandemic, it was the second-highest total in two decades. Jimmy G, Bosa, Kinlaw, Greenlaw, Kittle, Samuel, Sherman and other Stephen King level figures. The year before, they won 13 games and made it to the Super Bowl. Over the next three years, they won 10, 13 and 12 games respectively.
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Even with Shanahan’s unique situation, the overall record is 99-47 (67.8%). Fourth year is setting me up for success, or so I think. Hey, what did they say about what-ifs again?
JJ McCarthy: I have a question.
How did so many red flags go unnoticed? Why are we still discussing the fundamentals and mechanics of how a professional quarterback plays in the middle of the 2025 season? Wasn’t that clear on his college tapes? Is this something new? Has it always been there, but is proving harder to fix? What exactly happened in OTAs and minicamp last year before he got injured? Why wasn’t this addressed this past offseason?
I’ve been thinking about Troy Aikman’s comments before the Week 1 game against the Bears. To put it another way: “Given the expectations, I don’t think there’s any quarterback with more pressure on their shoulders this season than JJ McCarthy.” Well, at 4-8, with the Vikings’ playoff hopes slim and the first flight out of town slim to book, that pressure is gone. Max Brosmer is not the new Brock Purdy, so no one is watching him. This all helps. Should help. it better help.
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Five times now, McCarthy has begun reshaping the narrative. Best case scenario? He’s performed well enough that I believe the extra offseason work can make 2026 the 2025 everyone expected. Worst case scenario? It’s more of the same, with barely any noticeable improvements. If it’s the former, you’d still be signing or trading a veteran (e.g. Marcus Mariota, Jacoby Brissett, Mac Jones, Davis Mills, Tyrod Taylor, Joe Flacco) in March or April — not before the season starts — given how difficult it is for him to stay healthy. If the latter nightmare happens, you shouldn’t be afraid to go all-in on quarterback again and select what could be a top-five pick. Yeah, if we see more of the same, we probably won’t win another game. I’m not even confident against the Giants, who are 2-11. So, maybe 4-13 or 5-12 at most. What other options are there? It’s no longer 1995, or even 2005; Teams don’t have enough time to wait 3-4 years for a young quarterback to develop.
KOC once said, “The organization will fail the young quarterback before the young quarterback fails the organization.” I agree. The idea that KOC is learning the development process with McCarthy is also valuable. We are exploring the learning curve now. Perhaps strict adherence to schemes and tricky offensive principles didn’t do him any favors.
In addition to one season with Johnny Manziel in 2015 and half a season with Dwayne Haskins in 2019, KOC’s quarterbacks include Kirk Cousins, Alex Smith, Case Keenum, and Jared Goff after three years with Sean McVay, Matt Stafford, Cousins, and Sam Darnold. Do you see a pattern?
I want to make this clear: I am a huge McCarthy fan. I support him very much. I believe he can be our franchise quarterback for the next decade or more. But he needs to improve quickly, otherwise the team will have to move on quickly. We hope that KOC and his staff will do everything possible to make the best happen.
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Flores’ storyline unknown
Brian Flores has single-handedly made this team competitive this season. I’ve already discussed how last season’s all-around top 5 unit showed some regression. Still, the Chargers’ debacle aside, there’s a compelling argument that our record could be reversed if we only had average quarterback performance.
The Seahawks game was the latest example. The Vikings’ offensive struggles made headlines, but Sam Darnold’s revenge game fell through. Flores held the Seahawks offense to 19 points but only 219 total yards at home. Darnold’s stats reflect some of the poorness of our offense this year: 19/30, 126 yards and 4 sacks. We’ve previously performed well against the Detroit Lions on the road and against teams like the Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens.
It’s no exaggeration to say that Flores saved us from a couple of embarrassing blowout losses that would have put even more pressure on KAM and KOC. question? His contract expires in 2026 and I wouldn’t be surprised if he leaves. Even if he doesn’t get his long-awaited second NFL head coaching job, the “I’ve done everything I can do here/new challenge” mentality is real. Additionally, he received a nice raise. Would Wilf be willing to sign another expensive multi-year contract if KOC could be his coach next year? Then there’s the quarterback situation and whether Flores is willing to stay in uncertainty. Losing him was a significant, unknown concern. There’s something else going on as we enter the “rock bottom” wasteland of the final stretch of the season.
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Commander, no matter what
With the competitive portion of the 2025 Vikings season over, up next are the Washington Commanders – another 2024 playoff team with high expectations for 2025 but stuck in a nightmare of their own.
It’s worth noting that the Commanders, who may once again be without Jayden Daniels and are on a seven-game losing streak and one win less on the season, play on the road at U.S. Bank Stadium and are actually the early favorites in this game. The line has tilted slightly toward the Vikings since then, but it’s a clear indication of how oddsmakers view the odds this year.
Let’s keep being funny with my terrible opinions, shall we? I had to say this when I predicted the 2025 season in May.
Week 14: Washington Commander: I’m a huge fan of Jayden Daniels. The Commanders strengthened their O-line and added Deebo Samuel. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if they were the NFC’s representatives in the Super Bowl. Yeah, unfortunately I’m onto something. This might be a game where you expect a penalty shootout but the outcome is the opposite. Flores limited Daniels as much as possible, but he made enough plays in the second half to leave U.S. Bank Stadium with a narrow victory. Hopefully we’ll get a chance for revenge in January.
Commander Washington: 20
Minnesota Vikings: 18
Things don’t go well when your halftime production is jokingly measured in feet instead of yards. After taking just six points from two games, I can’t even confidently predict we’ll reach double figures at home. As always, the defense is going to keep us in trouble, but there’s no evidence that KOC has suddenly found a magic formula that makes the Vikings offense look capable.
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All eyes will be on McCarthy again, and I’ll be rooting for him to make this prediction look completely silly. Given my record, there’s a lot of precedent.
Washington Commander: 17
Minnesota Vikings: 9
This half-empty mentality sucks.
