Vikings Prediction from ESPN … Kinda Sucks
The Minnesota Vikings won 14 games in 2024 after oddsmakers believed the franchise would win six or seven.
Vikings Prediction from ESPN … Kinda Sucks
Kevin O’Connell and Co. assuredly overachieved last season, culminating in an embarrassing one-and-done playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
Now, according to ESPN, the Vikings are on tap to “take a step back” in 2025. Three pundits from the sports media giant piled on in an article predicting 2025 NFL events.
“A slight step back,” Jeremy Fowler wrote about Minnesota. “They will remain playoff-caliber, but it’s tough to replicate a 14-win season when several key free agents are poised to leave and the offense could be breaking in a new quarterback.”
He wasn’t alone. Jordan Reid, ESPN’s draft savant, explained, “So many things went right for them in 2024. It’s difficult to imagine they will have as many things break their way, especially with a potential change at quarterback.”
Minnesota has early +4,000 Super Bowl odds for next year, situating it at the middle of the pack next to teams like the Chicago Bears and Denver Broncos.
ESPN’s Mike Tannenbaum added, “Sam Darnold played extremely well in 2024. But whether it’s him or J.J. McCarthy as the starter in 2025, it will be hard to replicate that kind of quarterback success.”
For the exercise, the Vikings are a fashionable pick because nobody anywhere — nobody at all — picked them to win 14 games in 2024. So, the club may pivot to J.J. McCarthy next season, letting Sam Darnold hit free agency and join another team. Then, for example, Minnesota could reasonably finish the season with an 11-6 record. In hindsight, because McCarthy will be raw, the 14-3 record would far outshine 11-6 on paper per wins and losses.
The Vikings’ schedule will also be trickier to navigate. In 2024, Minnesota played a third-place schedule, courtesy of the 7-10 record it tabulated in 2023 with Joshua Dobbs, Nick Mullens, and Jaren Hall under center during the season’s second half. Next year, O’Connell’s bunch will take on a second-place schedule that, at first glance, doesn’t showcase too many “easy” opponents.
Thankfully for the Vikings’ sake, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has about $60 million to spend in free agency, the most the franchise has showcased in years relative to the salary cap.
But above all else, staving off the unfavorable ESPN prediction will boil down to how quickly McCarthy meshes in O’Connell’s offense — or if he’s anything good at all.
NFL free agency is three weeks away.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His MIN obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
You must be logged in to post a comment.