Vikings Called a ‘Bottom Feeder’ with One Change Needed
A two percent chance: that’s what oddsmakers have assigned for the Minnesota Vikings’ math to reach the postseason after 12 weeks.
The Vikings have been labeled a “bottom feeder,” with analysts pointing to one major change the team must make to climb out of its slump.
The club owns a disappointing 4-7 record and is rudderless at the quarterback position, at least temporarily.
Accordingly, one outlet called the purple team a “bottom feeder,” claiming they need a change at quarterback for the long haul.
Fansided Calls the Vikings a ‘Bottom Feeder’
We’ve reached the point in the regular season where such terms … make sense.
The Skinny from Fansided
Julian Fadullon identified three teams this week that he considers “bottom feeders” — also clubs that can hop back toward relevance with one roster tweak.
He wrote about the Vikings, “Change: A veteran quarterback. Listen, after one season, it is way too early to give up on J.J. McCarthy — as tempting as it is.”
“Through 12 weeks, J.J. McCarthy has posted historically awful rookie stats, including a 25.6 QBR, completion percentage of 54.1, just over 150 passing yards per game, and a 6:10 TD/INT ratio. The Vikings as a whole are not much better — at least relative to preseason predictions giving them a near 50/50 shot at the playoffs.”
Minnesota was expected to receive at least average QB play from McCarthy, which would have catapulted the team into playoff contention. Through 12 weeks, no such luck.
Fadullon continued, “4-7 isn’t a terrible record, but in the brutal NFC North it’s a death sentence. This team is simply too talented, too accomplished, and too expensive to be led by a project as green as McCarthy. Regardless of whether or not he could ever be ready, Minnesota needs a quarterback to bridge the gap between the Kirk Cousins era and whoever they decide to be a part of their future.”
“Put a Jacoby Brissett or any other stable veteran in charge of what could be the best skill position personnel in the NFL, and the Vikings are right back in the playoff hunt for 2026.”
A Bottom Feeder Inside an Alleged Super Bowl Contention Season
This wasn’t supposed to happen, not to the 2025 Vikings.
Minnesota spent over $300 million on free agents, the second-most in the NFL next to the New England Patriots. The team was all in to contend for a Super Bowl, so long as the quarterback play wasn’t miserable.
The QB play is miserable.
And here we are, some 12 weeks into a once-promising season, with a 4-7 record and virtually no shot at the Super Bowl the franchise sought. Minnesota doesn’t run the ball nearly enough, can’t convert offensive 3rd Downs, and the special teams gaffes pile up weekly.
How to Fix It
There are two in-house fixes to the Vikings’ current maladies:
- J.J. McCarthy “figures it out” after the club shows extreme patience with his development,
- Max Brosmer fulfills his Brock Purdy-style destiny, earning the QB1 job indefinitely with a solid showing at Seattle on Sunday.
Otherwise, the Vikings will have to explore another QB option in the offseason, probably a trade for a player like Mac Jones or Kyler Murray — or draft one all over again.
Best-Case Scenario the Rest of the Way in 2025
Given how all the chips lie right now, the Brosmer angle is the best-case scenario for Minnesota. If he delivers at Seattle, proving to be a diamond in the rough, the Vikings would finish this year with some respect and enter the 2026 offseason with McCarthy and Brosmer to choose from on the bingo board.
It’s also worth noting that, in theory, Minnesota could go 6-0 over the next six weeks and squeak into the postseason. That’s possible — not probable.
Browns as a Bottom Feeder, Too
Fadullon also placed Cleveland in the same category as Minnesota.
He explained, “Change: Reinvesting in the offensive line. The Browns have the longest shot at making the playoffs out of all three of these teams, but they also have the clearest path. Coaching is a gamble.”
“Quarterback play might not matter with how bad Minnesota’s offensive line is. But Cleveland’s defense gives them a massive advantage over almost every team they play. Despite their offense posting the 21st-ranked time of possession, Cleveland’s defense has still managed to allow the second-fewest total yards per game.”
The Vikings beat the Browns in Week 4.
“Quinshon Judkins looks like a star in the making. They have a pair of wins over the Rams and Eagles that prove they can win, if in an ugly fashion. Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel look competent if nothing else, and Cleveland can also draft Dante Moore for a quarterback with pop. The only weak link for them, if it can be called that, is a bad offensive line that is also old and set to leave in free agency,” Fadullon added.
“For a two-win team through 12 weeks, all the Browns really need to do is control time of possession and move the chains. And all that requires of game manager(s) they have under center is simply for the offensive line to buy time for quick reads and to create gaps for Judkins.”
Almost no matter what, the Vikings’ quarterback situation will overtake all eight months of the offseason.
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