4 Losers from Vikings First Game of 2025
Against all odds, the Minnesota Vikings won their Week 1 contest at the Chicago Bears, tallying a 27-24 final score after a momentous 4th Quarter comeback, courtesy of quarterback J.J. McCarthy. The youngster did it — in his very first game.
Four losers stood out from the Vikings’ first game of 2025, as struggles in key spots kept Minnesota from a stronger showing.
The Vikings now turn their sights on the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday night, a tryst at U.S. Bank Stadium in primetime.
Some unsung Vikings stood off the page. You can find them here. Some didn’t fare so well, and these are the “losers” for the Vikings in Week 1.
4 Disappointing Vikings from the First Game
These men will need a bounceback in Week 2.
1. First Half Playcalling
Head coach Kevin O’Connell waltzed into Week 1 holstering a conservative call sheet for his 22-year-old quarterback. That’s fine and dandy — but O’Connell just cannot execute a small-ball offense. It’s like asking Stephen Curry to win a dunk contest against his peers. Not gonna happen.
O’Connell shackled McCarthy, even to the point of attempting (and making) a 59-yard Will Reichard field goal at the end of the half with about 15 seconds to spare. He evidently didn’t trust McCarthy to throw a sideline route, and if Reichard had missed, Chicago would’ve had the ball in great shape to add three more points.
Overall, O’Connell forced McCarthy to take baby steps — like a newborn on day one of life who can’t walk — in the 1st and 2nd quarters.
The moment O’Connell let McCarthy rip, the tide turned. McCarthy is a big boy. He’s arguably more accomplished than O’Connell in the grand scheme of life, having won the 2023 National Championship. Henceforth, he should not dumb down the offense as if McCarthy were a 16-year-old playing in the NFL. Let it fly.
2. Jeff Okudah | CB
Okudah left the game due to concussion fears — an update should be available on him later this week — but before that unfortunate circumstance, Okudah also struggled.
On 16 defensive plays, he graded a 36.8 from Pro Football Focus, which just won’t do the trick. Many fans — perhaps a majority? — talked themselves into believing Okudah could be “fixed” merely by playing on the team coached by Brian Flores. However, Okudah has played in the big leagues for five seasons before signing with the Vikings, and has never lived up to the expectations of being the third overall pick in 2020.
He could rebound just fine, but the Vikings should start thinking about Stephon Gilmore or a similar free agent, especially if the concussion sidelines Okudah.
SI.com‘s Will Ragatz wrote about Okudah on Tuesday, “The other injury situation to note is that on the final play of the game, when the Bears were trying to pull off a miracle, Vikings No. 3 cornerback Jeff Okudah took a hit to the head. The broadcast shows Okudah (No. 8) taking an inadvertent shot from Pace while in pursuit of the ball.”
“He was down on the field in the aftermath of the final whistle and ended up being carted off. It sounds like there’s a chance Okudah avoided anything serious, but his status for Week 2 is at least in some jeopardy.”
Dwight McGlothern would be the next man up on Sunday if Okudah is ruled out.
Ragatz added, “He played 16 defensive snaps in Monday’s game. Beyond starters Byron Murphy Jr. and Isaiah Rodgers, Dwight McGlothern is the only other corner on the Vikings’ active roster, but they do have the ability to elevate Fabian Moreau from the practice squad. They could also potentially look to make an addition at that position.”
3. Justin Skule | LT
Christian Darrisaw didn’t play in Week 1 — maybe because Soldier Field, the surface, is rotten — so Skule, a free-agent newcomer, took over McCarthy’s blindside.
He quickly became the offensive line’s weak link, while the rest of the group held up. Skule’s PFF score checked in at 55.8, and that won’t be remembered positively by onlookers.
Thankfully, Darrisaw should be back this week or next, and Skule can return to his roots: backup offensive tackle duty.
4. Adam Thielen | WR
Adam Thielen officially caught zero passes for zero yards. Yikes.
The man was supposed to be the Week 1 WR2 savior for Minnesota after joining the team via late summer trade with the Carolina Panthers. Thielen wound up catching a nifty two-point conversion, which was vital, but on the stat sheet, he did nothing.
Thielen likely needs time to re-acclimate to Minnesota’s offense, and he can be trusted for the assignment. But on a night when J.J. McCarthy needed trustworthy pass-catchers, Thielen dropped a crucial, would-be 1st Down reception and appeared to struggle at simply getting open.
Not for nothing, Jordan Addison will return to his WR2 job in 19 days.
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