Vikings Qualify for an Intrusive Thought
The 2025 NFL regular season kicks off in 100 days when the Philadelphia Eagles host the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday Night Football.
ESPN published several NFL factoids this week, and the Vikings showed up in the “intrusive thoughts” section.
The Minnesota Vikings play four days later, featured on Monday Night Football at the Chicago Bears, with second-year passer J.J. McCarthy getting his first taste of Soldier Field and the NFL, in general.
And to accompany the 100 days out, ESPN published an article this week with 100 things to know, including factoids, observations, and predictions.
Benjamin Solak wrote, “The 2025 NFL season is officially 100 days away, so I have written 100 things to know. They are various in category — important names to know, improved teams, salary cap considerations, jersey number analytics, bold predictions, key returners from IR, etc.”
“You may read them all at once or, if you like, treat this like an Advent calendar and read only one every day from now until kickoff on Sept. 4. (If any of you actually do that, I will report you to the appropriate authorities.) Here are my 100 things for 100 days before the 2025 NFL season, starting with 10 under-the-radar names.”
And when he arrived at his “Intrusive Thoughts” section, the Vikings were on his mind.
ESPN Defines Vikings-Themed Intrusive Thought
Solak revealed numerous categories in his lengthy article, but in the Intrusive Thoughts section, the Vikings and Denver Broncos got first dibs.
He explained, “These are things I think I think, but I do not yet know exactly how to express them. Do not judge me. There are two teams that could reasonably project as having the best offensive line and the best defense for the 2025 season: Minnesota and Denver.”
“As such, Minnesota and Denver register as ‘Super Bowl dark horses’ on my ‘What sort of contender are you?’ scale before I even know anything about their respective young quarterbacks.”
It’s quite the shoutout for the Vikings and Broncos — two clubs with the hard parts of football evidently in the bag.
Defense Didn’t Need Much Improvement but Here We Are
Last season, Minnesota ranked second leaguewide per defensive EPA/Play and DVOA. The unit took a giant leap in the right direction as defensive coordinator Brian Flores entered Year No. 2.
In fact, entering the 2025 offseason, Minnesota didn’t require too much defensive improvement on the depth chart. The main fear would be to avoid major regression.
But the Vikings improved the defense nevertheless, finally emphasizing the defensive tackle spot by signing free agents Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave. Jerry Tillery and Jonathan Bullard inhabited those DT spots in 2024, but adding Allen and Hargrave will represent a serious upgrade on paper.
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah also signed cornerbacks Isaiah Rodgers and Jeff Okudah while promoting safety Theo Jackson after Camryn Bynum left in free agency for the Indianapolis Colts.
Complete iOL Overhaul
Defense arguably wasn’t even the main priority.
Also in free agency, Adofo-Mensah signed two new interior offensive linemen, center Ryan Kelly and guard Will Fries, both from the Colts — a package deal of sorts. Then, in the draft six weeks later, he picked Ohio State’s Donovan Jackson, another guard, from Round 1.
The Vikings’ offensive line did not struggle overall in 2024, but with the season on the line in Week 18 and in the playoffs, the group floundered, so Minnesota fixed the glitch this offseason.
The Roster Is Ready for J.J. McCarthy
Solak’s projection — insinuating that Minnesota, along with Denver, could have the league’s best offensive line and defense — is just the perfect setup for McCarthy. One might call it a dream come true for a young quarterback.
McCarthy didn’t play last season due to a torn meniscus, but when he assumes QB1 duty in 104 days, he may have the NFL’s best trenches on offense and even better defense if Solak’s “intrusive thought” is accurate.
Solak mentioned McCarthy later in the article: “Sorry, Falcons fans, but there aren’t two sides to that coin. I think J.J. McCarthy could be the 24th-best quarterback in the league next season and the Vikings would still win 12 games. That’s the difference between a well-built roster and a haphazardly built one.”
It’s worth noting that the same arrangement will benefit Bo Nix in Denver.
Other ESPN Factoids
Solak added one more Vikings-centric thought, pertaining to Flores.
He noted, “For another year, the greatest non-quarterback competitive advantage in the NFL is that of Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores. He is unquestionably one of the 32 (if not 20) best coaches in football and a clear and obvious head coaching candidate, if not for the fact that he is suing the league.”
On Flores, fans should fully expect him to land another head coaching opportunity before too long. He deserves it.
Overall, Minnesota hasn’t been mentioned during an offseason as a joint offensive line and defensive powerhouse, perhaps since the Brett Favre era — and even that defense may not be as good as the 2025 version based on depth chart talent.
It’s a brave new world for the purple team per offseason outlook.
Former Vikings QB Keeps Door Open
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