4 Vikings Who Must Step Up in the Second Half of 2025
Believe it or not, the Minnesota Vikings are alive in the NFC postseason hunt. They just need to keep winning games. It’s that simple. Accordingly, these players must step up in the second half of the 2025 season.
Four Minnesota Vikings who need to elevate their play in the second half of 2025 as the team fights to stay alive in the NFC playoff race.
The mission continues this week at home, taking on the Baltimore Ravens, Minnesota’s first meeting with Baltimore since Mike Zimmer’s final season (2021).
Vikings Need These 4 Men to Do the Thing
It’s go-time for a handful of purple performers. They’re listed in ascending order (No. 1 = top go-time player)
4. Jonathan Greenard (OLB)
Greenard ranks 4th in the NFL among EDGE defenders in tackles, 5th in stops, 10th in QB hurries, 13th in QB hits, and 15th in QB pressures. Pretty fantastic, right?
Correct — but he ranks 55th overall in sacks. His pressures are wonderful, and Greenard is an integral part of the Vikings’ defense. But he must bring all of the havoc to fruition in the form of sacks. It’s time.
The veteran defender must finally log some sacks and perhaps hit double-digits, his normative production, by season’s end. He’s too often a smidgen off in completing sacks. Minnesota will need those down the stretch of 2025.
3. Jonathan Allen (DT)
Allen’s numbers in the format above from Greenard’s resume:
Among DTs:
- 7th in Tackles
- 7th in QB Hits
- 11th in Stops
- 21st in QB Pressures
- 26th in Sacks
- 27th in QB Hurries
Those numbers are not terrible, but Allen signed a three-year, $51 million contract. At that price point, the rankings should be Top 12 across the board.
2. Aaron Jones (RB)
When Jones pops off for productive and efficient games, Minnesota wins. When he and his counterpart, Jordan Mason, do not, the Vikings lose. It’s that elementary.
The Vikings need the Week 9 version of Jones — the one who starts games hot and serves as the offense’s engine while J.J. McCarthy develops in real time. Before injuring his AC joint last weekend, Jones tabulated 98 yards from scrimmage and pass-protected with the best of them.
Jones missed four games this season with an injured hamstring. If Minnesota aspires to reach the playoffs, it needs a healthy Jones and one who banks over 75 yards from scrimmage each game.
Otherwise, this mission statement slides over to Mason, who has struggled since his fumble overseas.
1. J.J. McCarthy (QB)
You might recall how McCarthy played in Week 9 at the Lions; that’s how Minnesota needs McCarthy to play each week. That’s really it.
McCarthy delivered big-time throws, avoided catastrophic mistakes, and dimed clutch plays against arguably the best team in the NFC. He also has 6 touchdowns in 3 games, and if you asked any Vikings fan, “How does 34 touchdowns for McCarthy’s 2025 campaign sound?” — 100% would pound the green button.
Zone Coverage‘s Tom Schreier wrote about McCarthy this week, “McCarthy did the little things right. He got in and out of the huddle on time, progressed, and aligned his feet and eyes to his receivers. He also struck a balance between not forcing the ball while avoiding playing too conservatively.”
“McCarthy said he feels that the Vikings are just starting to scratch the surface of their potential. He’ll have to keep improving for them to do that this year. However, he took a meaningful step in Detroit. He didn’t put up video game numbers, but he operated the offense with aplomb in a hostile environment.”
McCarthy remains undefeated in Michigan.
“When McCarthy got the call from O’Connell late in the fourth on the play that eventually went to Naylor, he said his first thought was to focus on each step individually. J.J. McCarthy made a gutsy pass, and Nailor secured a contested catch. Still, McCarthy was able to deliver in a hostile environment by keeping things simple,” Schreier continued.
“After struggling to turn Minnesota’s motor over in seven of the first eight quarters he played, McCarthy started the engine by keeping things simple. He didn’t do anything fancy. McCarthy just put his head down and did his job.”
In short, McCarthy can’t fire up any (or too many) of his Week 2 games — not when the Vikings must finish 6-3 or better to reach the postseason.
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