Dustin Baker’s Official Predictions for the 2025 Vikings
Minnesota Vikings predictions are flying around hot and heavy, as the NFL regular season is four days away — Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys on Thursday Night Football.
Dustin Baker shares his official predictions for the 2025 Vikings, breaking down wins, losses, and the outlook for Kevin O’Connell’s team.
Annually, Vikings predictions are documented on this site, and 2025 is no different.
So, to be held accountable, these are 2025 predictions for the Vikings, listed in no particular order.
Last year’s predictions were a mixed bag. You can read them here.
Final 2025 Vikings Predictions from Dustin Baker
Getting the prognostications on record.
1. Vikings Win a Playoff Game for the First Time Since 2019
The last time Minnesota won in the playoffs? The 2019 walk-off touchdown reception by Kyle Rudolph from Kirk Cousins down in New Orleans. The drought has lasted for over five years.
Of course, the Vikings have been back to the postseason — and lost twice. Once in 2022 at home against the New York Giants and last year on the road versus the Los Angeles Rams. This time, Kevin O’Connell’s team will reach the postseason with a 10-7 record, travel to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and win a Wildcard game over Baker Mayfield and friends.
The drought ends in 2025.
2. Jeff Okudah Fails to Launch
Minnesota signed Jeff Okudah in March, along with Super Bowl champion corner Isaiah Rodgers — in addition to locking Byron Murphy Jr. down for the long haul.
Rodgers will play respectably, but Okudah won’t quite take off. The man has had five seasons to stand off the page since the Detroit Lions drafted him third overall in 2020. He won’t magically turn into a baller now just because Brian Flores is his boss.
Okudah’s 2025 ceiling is probably a Pro Football Focus grade around 60 or so. The summer Okudah hype will look silly in retrospect.
Our Janik Eckardt noted on Okudah this week, “The Vikings need him to emerge as a solid defender in the upcoming season if they want to play a role in the NFC playoff picture. The only backup on the roster is sophomore Dwight McGlothern, and Fabian Moreau is on the practice squad. Okudah will play Shaq Griffin’s role, who logged 572 defensive snaps in 2025, equaling half of all defensive snaps.”
“The first obstacle to overcome is his health, and the second is his performance on the field. It’s a big bet to make for the Vikings, a team with high expectations going into the season. There’s minimal urgency to hire someone else to take his place. He was handed the CB3 job in training camp without much competition, and it remains to be seen whether that was a wise decision or not.”
3. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah Trades for a CB Midseason
Therefore, coupled with the unfortunate Okudah prediction, Adofo-Mensah will trade for a cornerback before the November deadline. La’Jaruis Sneed of the Tennessee Titans, Greg Newsome II of the Cleveland Browns, Jaylen Watson of the Kansas City Chiefs, or Deonte Banks of the New York Giants might make sense.
Adofo-Mensah is never afraid to pull the trigger on a trade, and that will be a cornerback in late October or early November.
4. Minnesota Beats Detroit at Least Once
Remember when Kevin O’Connell was hired as the head coach in 2022? He defeated the Detroit Lions in his first-ever meeting against Dan Campbell.
But that was it.
The Lions have defeated the Vikings five times in a row, a nauseating stat for a rivalry that is mostly one-sided in Minnesota’s favor. It’s not clear whether Minnesota will win at U.S. Bank Stadium or at Ford Field, but O’Connell will find at least one win over Campbell this year.
Pro Football Focus‘ Trevor Sikkema wrote about the Lions’ offseason in May: “The Lions lost coordinators Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn to head-coaching vacancies, and although there’s nothing they could’ve done about that, it still hurts. They basically swapped Carlton Davis III for D.J. Reed, which wasn’t a bad move; Davis earned a 72.1 PFF coverage grade in 2024, while Reed earned a 70.1 mark.”
“The hope is that second-round pick Tate Ratledge can fill in for Kevin Zeitler, who earned an 86.5 PFF overall grade at guard for Detroit last season. The front office didn’t do much at edge rusher and will need Aidan Hutchinson to return to his pre-injury form.”
It’s time.
5. J.J. McCarthy Delivers 24-27 TDs
J.J. McCarthy will look the part for Minnesota in 2025 — just not all the time. He’s basically a rookie, and patience must be afforded to his development.
Players like Patrick Mahomes in 2018, Justin Herbert in 2020, C.J. Stroud in 2023, and Jayden Daniels have set a high bar for rookie or essentially-rookie passers. McCarthy’s maiden voyage will check in just a step below that group.
He’ll throw for about 25 touchdowns, 3,500 passing yards, and generate enough excitement for fans to know the team has the right guy for the long haul.
You must be logged in to post a comment.