Should the Vikings Feel Pressure to Win in 2025?
2025 is an important year for a number of NFL franchises hoping to capture a Lombardi trophy.
Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills fell in the AFC Championship Game to the Kansas City Chiefs, and they still have yet to make a Super Bowl in the seven years with Allen under center. It’s a similar story for Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens, who lost to the Bills in the Divisional round. The pressure for these teams to get the job done grows with each passing year.
In the NFC, the San Francisco 49ers, typically a perennial contender to make the Super Bowl, had a difficult season in 2024, finishing 6-11 and missing the playoffs. Perhaps they should feel some pressure to get back into the playoff picture this year after Brock Purdy signed a new contract extension this spring. The Chicago Bears probably feel some pressure as well to win with Caleb Williams, 2024’s first overall pick.
Should the Vikings be another team thrown into that group feeling pressure to win right now? One analyst made a case for it.
Do the Vikings Need to Win for 2025 to Be a Success?
Tom Blair of NFL.com recently put together a list of 11 teams who are facing the most pressure to win in 2025. The Vikings landed on that list, albeit all the way at the bottom.
“Minnesota’s case for inclusion here is borderline, because breaking in a new starting QB whose rookie season was wiped out by a knee injury should lower expectations somewhat. If Kevin O’Connell can confirm without a doubt by the end of the season that J.J. McCarthy will be The Guy moving forward, 2025 will be a victory, even if the Vikings don’t return to the playoffs. But I do see enough of a chance for some stealth pressure to build up here that I wanted to issue kind of a PRESSURE ALERT with this bottom slot,” Blair wrote.
The argument can go in a couple different directions.
On one hand, the Vikings are going to be starting a quarterback in J.J. McCarthy who has never taken a snap during an NFL regular season game. Minnesota almost certainly will experience some bumps in the road along the way as their 2024 first-round pick learns how to lead an NFL offense.
Additionally, the Vikings seem likely to be without one of their key pieces, Jordan Addison, for at least three games after he found a legal resolution to his driving case. Being without a top weapon in the offense only makes things more difficult for McCarthy.
On defense, there are some big questions as to who is going to step up at the cornerback position, and then there is also the matter of replacing the production of safety Camryn Bynum, who ended up going to Indianapolis this spring. Perhaps there will be some struggles in the secondary, especially early in the year.
The opposite side of the argument is a touch easier to defend, though. After all, the Vikings just finished a 14-3 season, and while they may not be able to replicate that record, it can be argued that a number of problems on the roster have been fixed.
The interior offensive line has been completely revamped with two free agent signings and a first-round pick of Donovan Jackson. Not only should the pass protection of McCarthy keep the pocket very clean for the young QB, but the jobs of Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason running the ball should be much easier.
Kevin O’Connell just showed that he can resurrect QBs and help them win in the NFL. Sam Darnold’s career looked like it was heading into the twilight before he came to Minnesota. This time around, O’Connell doesn’t even have to bring a QB back from the depths as the hype around McCarthy has only grown over the past year.
It’s a similar story on the interior defensive line as Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave should add ferocious pass rushing talent along with a pair of Pro Bowl edge rushers in Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel.
With Brian Flores still around, even with some question marks at the cornerback position, this defense should still be a very strong unit.
Overall, fans can look at this topic of “pressure” in different ways.
Are the Vikings going to fire Kevin O’Connell and/or Kwesi Adofo-Mensah if this team doesn’t go back to the playoffs this season? No, almost certainly not after both received new contract extensions this offseason.
There are also ways for this season to be a success without a playoff berth. If McCarthy plays well and shows that he deserves to be the long-term starter, that’s a win for the Vikings.
However, on paper, this is a roster that should be able to compete for the NFC North. No NFL team comes into a year expecting not to win, so the Vikings, even if they don’t have pressure from outside sources, likely have placed at least a hint of pressure on themselves.
Minnesota doesn’t necessarily need to win a Super Bowl in 2025 for the season to be considered a success, but there are plenty of people, including the organization itself, expecting big things from a new-look group. Some amount of pressure to live up to those expectations can be a good thing.
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