Can the Vikings Win the NFC North This Season?
Despite a surprising and impressive 14-3 record last season, the Minnesota Vikings did not win the NFC North. The Detroit Lions were even better at 15-2 and swept Minnesota.
The last two times Minnesota won the division were in 2022 and 2017. Before that, they last won in 2009. The Detroit Lions have won in each of the past two years.
Ali Siddiqui sizes up the NFC North — and whether the Vikings can win it in 2025.
Can Minnesota win the division this season? They certainly can. At the moment, Detroit should still be the favorites, given that they did indeed win the previous two years.
Both teams should be in the hunt all season, and it could very well be decided in the final week of the regular season once again. Minnesota added plenty of pieces in the offseason, and while Detroit lost some key players, they will once again have a loaded roster.
Detroit shockingly lost All-Pro center Frank Ragnow to retirement a few weeks ago. They also lost right guard Kevin Zeitler. Their offensive coordinator, Ben Johnson, and defensive coordinator, Aaron Glenn, each took head coaching jobs elsewhere. On the positive side for them, they will be getting star pass rusher Aiden Hutchinson back after he suffered a broken tibia and fibula in week six. They also signed cornerback D.J. Reed.
They continued to play well last year until the playoffs despite Hutchinson’s injury and many other key injuries, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
The additions of Ryan Kelly, Will Fries, Javon Hargrave, Jonathan Allen, and Isaiah Rodgers will all help Minnesota. First-round pick Donovan Jackson may also help as well. Both Jordan Mason and Rondale Moore could end up being underrated pieces. They can still add another cornerback to the roster before the start of the season.
The biggest question, of course, will be J.J. McCarthy. The 2024 first-round pick did not appear in a single regular season game last season after suffering a knee injury during the preseason. Good news, though, is that he is in a perfect situation for a quarterback. He has a head coach who played the position before and has done a very good job with his quarterbacks, especially Sam Darnold last season.
He will also have Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, a strong offensive line, and a solid running game, which will feature both Mason and Aaron Jones.
The play of the defense will also take the pressure off the former Michigan Wolverine. They should be even better this season with the new additions and Brian Flores returning for year three as the defensive coordinator.
Only time will tell if McCarthy is capable of being a franchise quarterback, despite his surroundings. Could he still struggle this season or the rest of his career? It is a very real possibility, which is why some fans and media members are currently skeptical of this team. He needs to stay healthy, too.
McCarthy does not need to throw 40 or more touchdowns this season like Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson did last season. He does not even need to throw 35 like Darnold did last year. If he can even throw 20-25 touchdowns, Minnesota has a chance to go far with how deep the rest of the roster is. If he throws too many interceptions, though, then it will make it tougher for that to happen. Still not impossible, but tougher indeed.
Quarterback is undoubtedly the most crucial position in football, but it is not the only important position.
It is doubtful Minnesota will once again win 14 games in 2025. It is very possible they could win 11 or 12 games, though, which may be enough to win the division. Additionally, it is improbable that Detroit will go 15-2 again.
No doubt McCarthy will be watched the closest this season out of everyone on the roster, as he very well should be. He has the most to prove this season. His play this season and years beyond will be very critical of this team’s possible Super Bowl chances both in 2025 and beyond. The play of fellow recent first-round picks Dallas Turner and Jackson will matter plenty, too.
J.J. McCarthy Is about to Shock People
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