Here’s What Lions Fans REALLY Think of the Vikings
What do you think of the Vikings this year? What do I think? It can only be rehashed so many times before we keep kneading it into the dirt.
Until the team starts training camp and stories start to emerge, there’s not much to discuss. I like to keep my thoughts as realistic as possible while being optimistic. Especially this year, with all the money the team spent, and maybe a franchise quarterback waiting to explode onto the scene.
Lions fans are sounding off about the Minnesota Vikings, and their takes are anything but tame. Here’s what the NFC North rivals really think heading into 2025.
I also like to see what other fans think. No, not the ones that boil down their argument to, “How many Super Bowls have you won?!?!” That’s lazy and can’t be argued or debated because it’s a fact. I’m referring to other fan groups, such as those at VikingsTerritory, that can discuss our team and the competition with an open mind.
Lions Fans Opine on the 2025 Vikings
It’s OK to say that an opponent is going to be better than our squad in a season when you base it on all the factors surrounding the teams that year. Coaching, players’ abilities, the strength of schedule, roster composition, signings, and drafts all contribute to the discussion surrounding team success or failure. I had a conversation with Bill Michaels at a work event a few years back. If you don’t know who he is, Bill is the equivalent of Paul Allen when it comes to sports broadcasting in Wisconsin.
He can talk about it all, but he can really get in-depth when it comes to the Packers. I started a similar conversation with him about the Vikings and Packers that I had with another coworker earlier that day. My coworker thought my take on the Packers struggling that year, if Aaron Rodgers got hurt, was “stupid” and any backup they had would do just as well, and of course, ended his rant with a lack of Super Bowls shot. That season was 2017, and the somewhat infamous Anthony Barr tackle on Rodgers occurred when A-Rodge stuck his arm out and broke his collarbone.
The Packers finished 7-9 and were 3rd in the division. When Michaels and I spoke, we saw eye to eye on most things, largely due to how the teams looked that year and what they had as potential pitfalls and “don’t be surprised if this happens” scenarios. It’s refreshing when you can have an open fan-to-fan discussion about your teams and speculate on possibilities without it devolving into “you suck just because”.
I saw a segment from Detroit on Woodward Sports discussing Minnesota. The subject was about the defensive line and whether it was better than Detroit’s, and if Lions fans should be concerned about the Vikings’ upgrades over the last two years.
Their host, Eazy, opened with a topic that “… gave me some anxiety.” He admits that at first, it could be a fair comparison, but then he reevaluated the players the Vikings brought in, considering the additions of Johnathan Allen and Javon Hargrave to last year’s roster, and the team he would “go to war with” would be the Vikings. I think that’s high and realistic praise coming from an opposing fan.
The Detroit front line is no joke; if not riddled with injuries last year, it could have taken that team to the Super Bowl. Aidan Hutchinson is arguably the best defensive end in the division and maybe the league. I respect that guy as a player, and you have to scheme for him any time your offense hits the field. Alim McNeill, Levi Onwuzurike, DJ Reader, and Raequan Williams are a badass unit to face, even if one of them is out of the game.
Their linebacking corps is also formidable, as is their defensive backfield. This is not “the same old Lions” of the past, and you’d better pay close attention when your team takes the field. Eazy went on to say that the recent changes on the Lions’ offensive line also gave him some consternation. Losing Kevin Zeitler to the Titans was one thing, but having the sudden retirement of Minnesota’s own Frank Ragnow after the draft really changed things.
The cast went on to discuss that while they value Hutchinson more than any of their single players on the Vikings’ defensive line, they all agreed that, as a unit overall, the Vikings had made more improvements.
When they asked Nick his opinion, he said, “What did I want this team to do in the offseason? Upgrade their defensive line. What did they do? They drafted Tyleik Williams in the first round. That is what they did for the defensive line to upgrade it.” He doesn’t say that as if he’s super excited about the draft choice, and I know some were surprised that Williams went that high. He continued, “I’m going with the Vikings. For sure. I thought they upgraded the way I wanted to see the Lions kind of go about it. … That is scary to look at.”
They also gave high praise to Dallas Turner, despite his minor showing last year, with Nick saying he “loved him coming out of Alabama” and that if he were on the Lions, they would be praising his potential. He was emphatic in stating, “We would hype him up like crazy if he were a Detroit Lion!”
Now, we all have to be open to the fact that Hargrave and Allen were injured last year, and they need to be as good as they were two seasons ago. Nothing is promised on paper. We also have to keep the faith that no major injuries occur to any of these players.
That’s what Detroit fans are hoping for, too. Last year, the injuries nearly crushed them, with the offense keeping them in most games, while the defense picked up players off the street. The Vikings could have beaten them in that last game if Sam Darnold had not melted down completely by overthrowing open receivers or missing them altogether in the end zone.
Eazy also gives props to Kevin O’Connell and his coaching abilities, but in the end (just like everywhere else), it comes down to how McCarthy performs. I think they give him a bit of a buffer because he led Michigan to a National Championship, and I’m sure they have given him his flowers over the last couple of years.
I 100% agree with everything these guys had to say in their context that Aidan Hutchinson is better than any individual on the Vikings’ defensive line, but the Vikings’ front seven is a better unit overall. Spencer Raxter summed it, “The Vikings front seven should definitely scare people, but like, you run the ball that’s how you eliminate pressure on your quarterback.” The Lions can run the ball.
They have the best one-two punch in their backfield with David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs. Those guys can make up for question marks on the offensive line and burn a team early before wearing them down later on. Last year, the Vikings ranked 1st against the run according to PFF rankings. Hargrave and Allen should also upgrade that area. I think they would agree.
Isn’t it nice when we all just get along?
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