We are currently 16 points behind and just one point away from the 2025 Minnesota Vikings. The purple team will open a disappointing 2025 season at home against the Green Bay Packers in Week 18.
With one game left to face Green Bay at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minnesota has a mixture of frustration and urgency but also a chance to control how this season will be remembered.
It’s not been a great season for Minnesota, especially in front of their home fans at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Vikings ended the season at home with a 3-4 home record at U.S. Bank Stadium. Good teams have home field advantage and are deep, but the Vikings haven’t had that this season.
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However, wins in the past two home games against Washington and Detroit have made the team’s record look better than when it was 1-4.
Finish the season against the most important team
A win over Green Bay would give the team a tie at home and a 9-8 overall record. This would have seemed unlikely a month ago. Ending the season with five straight wins should give the organization confidence that this team can be competitive next season. Still, there are some lingering questions as Minnesota enters the offseason.
November 9, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell warms up with the team before the game against the Baltimore Ravens at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
Is JJ McCarthy that guy? After a season of good, bad and ugly at the Vikings quarterback, we still don’t have answers. What’s more, it’s another injury-riddled season.
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McCarthy has always been a quarterback in need of development, which isn’t easy to do when you’ve only played nine games in your first two seasons in the league. Other big questions this offseason include the future of defensive coordinator Brian Flores, how the Vikings running game will look next year, and the potential retirement of Harrison Smith.
End an old enemy
Minnesota will end the season against what they consider their biggest rival — all the more reason to win. This could cause the organization to lose some spots in the draft and result in them looking to move into the final spot. However, the team is more interested in winning football games at this point.
They also hope to avenge a tough loss to the Packers at Lambeau Field in November and avoid losing to Green Bay in a season for the first time since the 2019 season.
September 8, 2025; Chicago, IL, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback JJ McCarthy (9) rushes the ball during the first half against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images
The two teams have been evenly matched since Kevin O’Connell became the Vikings’ head coach. O’Connell has a 4-3 record against the Packers. Green leads the overall battle, with 67 wins, 60 draws and 3 losses.
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In Week 17, both teams used backup quarterbacks, and the health of each team’s quarterback 1 is very important. Thanks to Minnesota’s win over Detroit, the Packers secured a spot in the playoffs where they are currently the seventh seed. That means they could rest players, opening the door for a Vikings win.
