A Tense and Awkward Stretch Now Awaits the Vikings
Fasten your seatbelt. The Minnesota Vikings have seven awkward games left on the 2025 schedule, mainly because the quarterback situation this season has resembled a rollercoaster.
The Minnesota Vikings are entering a very awkward stretch, with tough questions ahead about leadership, direction, and what comes next in 2025.
Minnesota must finish 6-1 the rest of the way to even think about the playoffs, and during that adventure, the scenes could get weird.
Get Ready for Seven Awkward Weeks of Vikings Football
Vibes are off, with no clear timetable for stabilization.
A Team That Still Thinks It Can Win
All summer, and even dating back to free agency, the Vikings showcased a roster ready to win now. They spent about $340 million in free agency, stockpiling a depth chart to fully empower 22-year-old quarterback J.J. McCarthy, whose job in 2025 was not to “screw up that much.”
McCarthy is screwing up that much.
Most franchises with a 22-year-old first-time starter might recognize that this season’s remainder will be about growing pains and “seeing what you have” in McCarthy. This team is different. It employs veteran players ready to win now — who may not give a damn about McCarthy’s long-term development. Roster turnover in the NFL is robust from year to year; a healthy portion of the 2025 club may not play for the 2026 Vikings.
At 4-6, some franchises would pivot all focus to McCarthy’s maturation in the next seven weeks. Minnesota will do that in addition to fighting for a playoff spot — that is probably unattainable after Sunday’s loss to Chicago.
Dueling aspirations: Get the young quarterback his snaps, but also go on a win streak to salvage the Super Bowl window season. Awkward.
A QB Who’s Only Good in the Clutch
There’s also the awkward element of McCarthy’s performance. He performed miserably on Sunday against the Bears, often failing to complete a basic pass.
But with the game on the line, McCarthy turned on the jets, leading Minnesota to a go-ahead score and almost winning the whole contest. Instead, the special teams ruined McCarthy’s moment, surrendering a long kick return that immediately transferred to a game-winning field goal by the Bears.
There’s no reason to believe the same routine won’t persist for the remaining seven games, so fans will probably have to endure 3.5 quarters of rough quarterback play, while hoping for Demon 4th Quarter McCarthy to arrive.
That doesn’t happen for most quarterbacks or teams, meaning another strange facet of Vikings football is in play.
QB Development vs. Win Now
If McCarthy were a veteran quarterback with plenty of starts under his belt, he’d be benched by now. He’s been that inaccurate.
But many, including the Vikings coaching staff and front office, will hold out hope that one Sunday arrives when he puts it all together. His closest experience to a full game occurred against the Detroit Lions in Week 9. The hope is that he can return to that level of play and showcase some semblance of consistency.
In the meantime, Minnesota will embark on games, with most of the world knowing the team will probably lose because the quarterback play is so subpar, bringing to the forefront a classic NFL question: Does a team basically concede wins in 2025 for the betterment of 2026? The only way to know if McCarthy turns the corner is to play him. Playing him reduces the chances of victory in his current state.
The arrangement is, well, what the word? Awkward.
Implications for GM + HC
Finally — the trajectory for Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell.
Adofo-Mensah’s contract was extended five months ago. O’Connell? Ten months ago. These guys’ extensions haven’t even officially kicked in, as both signed four-year deals in 2022.
The Vikings are committed to the pair, and the team’s ownership is not known for kneejerk reactions. Therefore, firing either man is unlikely during the season or shortly after. But what happens if McCarthy doesn’t improve whatsoever? Surely, the same general manager cannot be trusted to draft another quarterback in April, right?
Suppose McCarthy shows no progress in the remainder of November, December, or January. In that case, Minnesota will employ a general manager and head coach tandem that will have appeared to have struck out on the franchise quarterback decision — and on tap to find a repair because the ink on their extensions has not dried.
Meanwhile, there is very little NFL precedent for terminating the general manager and retaining the head coach. In those few examples, the head coach was fired the following season, as the fresh replacement general manager usually wants to pick the groceries (his head coach).
The only fix for the awkward seven weeks ahead is for McCarthy to suddenly play well and not look the part of unprepared, unplayable quarterback Either that — or the QB2 Max Brosmer enters the mix and quickly shows the moxie for QB1.
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