Are You Fidgety for a Vikings Playoff Win? Here’s Why.
The Minnesota Vikings are in a drought, and although you may feel it, you may not know the drought’s parameters. The last time the club won a playoff game was seven years ago — the day that Kirk Cousins delivered an overtime touchdown pass to Kyle Rudolph, walking off the New Orleans Saints on the road.
Since then, Minnesota has visited the postseason twice and won nothing.
O’Connell’s January Test Is Now Impossible to Ignore
Defining the Drought
Remember the year Minnesota drafted Garrett Bradbury? How about Irv Smith Jr. or Alexander Mattison? That was the time it won in the postseason. Here’s the drought by the numbers.
Vikings’ Longest Droughts,
without a Playoff Win,
Franchise History:
1) 3,288 Days (1988-1997)
2) 3,031 (1961-1969)
3) 2,920 Days (2009-2017)
4) 2,376 Days (Now)
5) 2,213 Days (1976-1982)
6) 1,834 Days (2004-2009)
The Vikings came somewhat close to a playoff dub in 2022 but ultimately lost at home to Daniel Jones and the New York Giants.
Vikings Never Have ‘Bad’ Seasons Anymore
Why does the lack of playoff wins in Minnesota since 2019 not feel like an utter outrage? Well, the Vikings aren’t quite exactly bottom feeders like the New York Jets or the Arizona Cardinals as of late. They’re always relevant, right there in the mix for the postseason. Even when the purple team teeters on the brink of a lost season, it finds a way to salvage the campaign by making it interesting, usually by tallying at least seven wins.
In fact, the Vikings haven’t completed a season with less than seven wins since 2013 — the end of the Christian Ponder experiment.
There’s also the every-other-year theory in play. Have a look:
- 2014 Vikings: Average
- 2015 Vikings: Good
- 2016 Vikings: Average
- 2017 Vikings: Good
- 2018 Vikings: Average
- 2019 Vikings: Good
- 2020 Vikings: Average
- 2021 Vikings: Average
- 2022 Vikings: Good
- 2023 Vikings: Average
- 2024 Vikings: Good
- 2025 Vikings: Average
Except for 2020 and 2021, Minnesota reaches the postseason every two seasons. It never dips too low.
Chances This Year?
If you trust Vegas’s opinion, the Vikings have a 38% chance of reaching the dance in 2026. Their moneyline is -166.
The team will showcase either Kyler Murray or J.J. McCarthy at quarterback, and from there, the league’s third-best defense per DVOA and EPA/Play will support an offense that contains names like Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Jauan Jennings, T.J. Hockenson, Aaron Jones, and Jordan Mason.
All the roster pieces are intact for a playoff run. The Vikings must conquer two hurdles:
1 | The quarterback must play efficiently — or at least better than last year when the combo of McCarthy, Carson Wentz, and Max Brosmer held the team back. That responsibility figures to fall on Murray.
2 | The NFC North doesn’t have any buffoonish teams anymore. From top to bottom, the Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, and Chicago Bears will push for the postseason, and in fact, it will be weird for one or two of those teams not to make it.
USA Today‘s Jack McKessy recently noted on the NFC North, “All four teams also have reason to believe they’ll be even better in 2026. Chicago added key defensive players, and quarterback Caleb Williams will get another year to progress under head coach Ben Johnson.”
“Detroit has a new offensive coordinator after struggling to match the (Ben) Johnson era of scoring prowess under John Morton. The Packers will have a fully healthy Micah Parsons back after the star edge rusher’s knee injury correlated with Green Bay’s four-game losing streak to end the season.”
Hot Seat if Not?
January is when NFL coaching resumes truly face scrutiny, and for O’Connell, his postseason performance remains a concern. Beyond the postseason, O’Connell’s record is largely impressive. He earned NFL Coach of the Year honors in 2024, and his winning percentage since 2022 ranks fifth in the league.
His teams also exemplify strategic play. Minnesota’s defense leads the NFL in EPA/play during his tenure, and the Vikings have incurred the sixth-fewest penalties. Yes, that indicates a well-disciplined and intelligently coached team.
Supporters often highlight the team’s success when O’Connell has a healthy starting quarterback, boasting a 37-15 record in such scenarios. Decent quarterback play translates to positive results.
However, challenges have arisen from the team’s draft record. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s draft misses have created huge roster gaps that O’Connell’s coaching alone has struggled to overcome.
Nevertheless, the team culture is established, and a strong regular season performance has become the expectation. The next obvious hurdle is to achieve postseason success. While O’Connell may not be under immediate pressure, a season of heavy losses could quickly intensify scrutiny and lead to the hot seat.
The drought must end.
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