New Vikings Offense Ranking Turns Heads
The Minnesota Vikings will showcase a new-look offense in 2025 for one central reason: quarterback J.J. McCarthy will be under center after missing his rookie season with a torn meniscus.
Pro Football Network released a batch of NFL offensive rankings last week, and the Vikings offense landed in a spot that might surprise fans. It’s modest.
The offensive line also underwent an extensive overhaul — for the better.
And according to Pro Football Network, the Vikings will boast the league’s 13th-best offense heading into 2025.
PFN Ranks Vikings Offense at No. 13
PFN’s Kyle Soppe ranked all NFL offenses last week, and Minnesota received Top 15 love.
Soppe explained the Vikings’ ranking: “The Minnesota Vikings got a standout season from current Seattle Seahawks QB Sam Darnold, and our job entering 2025 will be determining how much that change under center impacts the bottom line.”
“Last season, in terms of Offense+, was O’Connell’s best as the man in Minnesota. But it’s not as if he hasn’t had success at the professional level before (Rams were the sixth-best unit in 2021). Only time will tell if J.J. McCarthy is ready to keep this efficient offense on track, but all signs point to this being a good spot for his introduction to the NFL.”
Some onlookers would hope that Minnesota had the juice to crack the Top 10, but for a national audience, seeing is believing.
“From supporting cast to an advantageous system, we are bullish on his ability to impress from the jump, and that keeps Minnesota ranked as an above-average offense in a division that will require aggression on that side of the ball,” Soppe added.
The Vikings were sandwiched between the Kansas City Chiefs (No. 12) and the Philadelphia Eagles (No. 14) if that can be believed.
Pro Football Network Plops Vikings Offense at No. 13
It could be worse in the court of public opinion for the Vikings.
A Fair Ranking, All Things Considered
Let’s face it. No. 13 is probably a fair ranking for the 2025 purple team, considering the quarterback is a vast unknown.
McCarthy could ball out right away, and the No. 13 ranking would fly into the Top 10. Or — he could demonstrate rookie tendencies, sinking the enterprise into the 20s.
This is the risk of deploying a youngster like McCarthy.
The Stats Last Year
Here’s where head coach Kevin O’Connell’s offense ranked last year:
- Points Scored = 9th
- Points per Play = 10th
- Yards Gained = 12th
- EPA/Play = 14th
- 3rd Down Conv % = 14th
- Time of Possession = 14th
- DVOA = 15th
In that vein, the 13th ranking seems to be in an appropriate ballpark.
The Ceiling This Year
The offense depends on McCarthy’s maturation as a 22-year-old. Exit this article. Log out for the day. That’s all there is to it.
McCarthy does not have to perform like a Pro Bowler or future Hall of Famer in 2025 for Minnesota to succeed and reach the postseason, but he also can’t play like Kellen Mond, Sean Mannion, or Jaren Hall. He must move the ball downfield, play decently on 3rd Down, and avoid oodles of turnovers, which often sully rookie quarterbacks’ maiden voyages.
Again, the ceiling is up to McCarthy, and based on O’Connell’s brainpower and playcalling, Minnesota can somewhat easily waddle into the Top 10.
PFN’s Top Horses on Offense
Regrettably for the Vikings’ sake, the Detroit Lions took home the top spot, per PFN.
Soppe wrote, “Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions posted the third-best Offense+ grade (96.2) in our database that tracks back until 2019, trailing only the 2019 Baltimore Ravens and 2020 Green Bay Packers. The standout season was to be expected (three consecutive top-five grades in this system) and should continue to be moving forward, as this is the gold standard when it comes to blending talent with aggression.”
And the Baltimore Ravens at No. 2: “What the Ravens did in the second year under Todd Monken gets brushed aside a bit due to what the Lions accomplished and Baltimore’s lack of postseason success. But they are coming off of the sixth-best season on file and improved their grade by 12.9 points from 2023.”
“The sky is the limit for an offense that has yet to boast an alpha WR1 (T-30th in receptions by the position last year) and is promising big things from the underused Isaiah Likely in the season ahead.”
The Chicago Bears (No. 30), New York Giants (No. 31), and Cleveland Browns (No. 32) dwelled in the NFL’s basement.
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