Vikings Seek Long-Overdue Outcome in Week 10
As we head into Week 10 of the 2025 NFL season, the Minnesota Vikings are looking for a 2025 first. That is to follow up a win with another, a feat they have yet to achieve this season.
Sitting at .500 with a 4-4 record is indicative of a team that hasn’t been able to score back-to-back victories. Injuries—including at the quarterback position—have hampered the Vikings’ search for consistency, but the team is starting to get healthy.
VikingsTerritory looks at the team’s task in Week 10, producing back-to-back wins for the first time this season.
If Minnesota is going to find the consistency to be a playoff team this year, then it needs to happen sooner rather than later. The Vikings started the season trading wins and losses before back-to-back defeats to the Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Chargers. The return of JJ McCarthy helped the team return to winning ways last week.
Vikings Could Notch First Win Streak of 2025
Results so far;
Week 1 – won at Bears
Week 2 – lost vs Falcons
Week 3 – won vs Bengals
Week 4 – lost at Steelers
Week 5 – won at Browns
Week 6 – Bye
Week 7 – lost vs Eagles
Week 8 – lost at Chargers
Week 9 – won at Lions
Week 10 sees the Baltimore Ravens come to Minnesota as the Vikings round out their games against the AFC North division. So far, Kevin O’Connell’s team has fared fairly well against the division, with wins over the Cincinnati Bengals and the Cleveland Browns, but falling to a narrow defeat against the Pittsburgh Steelers. If the Vikings can score back-to-back wins for the first time this season and go 3-1 against the AFC North division, that will be an impressive return.
Vikings/Ravens history
The Vikings and Ravens have played each other seven times, with the rivalry closely fought. Baltimore leads the series 4-3, including a 2-2 record under head coach John Harbaugh. This is the first meeting between the two teams since O’Connell became the head coach in Minnesota. The last five games have been one-score games, a situation O’Connell’s Vikings have often found themselves in and have had success in. Minnesota is going 21-9 in games decided by eight points or less during O’Connell’s tenure.
A season that has a meeting with the Ravens has produced a bizarre sequence of events for Minnesota. The three seasons in which the Vikings beat the Ravens saw Minnesota advance to the NFC Championship game: 1998, 2009, and 2017. In the four seasons the Ravens beat the Vikings, the head coach got fired: Dennis Green (2001), Mike Tice (2005), Leslie Frazier (2013), and Mike Zimmer (2021).
I don’t see O’Connell getting sacked; even if the rest of the season doesn’t go particularly well, his record over his first three seasons should give him enough grace to get another go next season.
So, if this bizarre sequence continues, that means the Vikings are going to the championship game. Before last week’s win in Detroit, I’d have said that was as unlikely as O’Connell getting fired, but there’s more confidence in this Minnesota team after that win. However, a jaunt to the championship game should still be viewed as a long shot.
Suppose the Vikings can find that first back-to-back win of the season on Sunday and beat the Ravens. Then we can start to seriously think about a playoff push, especially with their unbeaten record within the division so far.
You must be logged in to post a comment.