Reactions as Vikings Finish the 2025 Season
The Minnesota Vikings finished the 2025 season with a 16-3 win over the Green Bay Packers, winning five straight to finish 9-8.
The Vikings’ season finale didn’t settle much, but it triggered all the emotions and capped a five-game win streak.
It wasn’t a game that will live long in the memory as the Vikings beat a Packers team resting starters for the playoffs with relative ease.
How Players, Fans, and the League Reacted to the Vikings’ Finish
The Vikings got what they wanted from the game, with JJ McCarthy having a good first half before his hand injury flared up again. Max Brosmer finished out the game and had another bizarre-looking fumble that he won’t want to see again.
Kevin O’Connell made sure to get the ball to Justin Jefferson early and often, so he could reach the 1000 receiving yards milestone.
Jefferson became just the third player ever to record six straight 1000-yard seasons to start their career, alongside Vikings legend Randy Moss and Mike Evans.
Farewell to Harrison Smith and CJ Ham
The most significant talking point of the day was the possibility that Sunday could be the last time Harrison Smith plays for the Minnesota Vikings.
After 14 seasons as a one-team man, the Vikings called a timeout so Smith could jog off the field to rapturous applause.
It was a moment befitting one of the best ever to pull on a Vikings jersey and one of the most popular players the franchise has ever had.
The Hitman wasn’t the only veteran one-team man who appeared to be calling time on his career.
CJ Ham openly said in a post-game locker room speech that it was time to be with his family. The Minnesota native went from undrafted to nine seasons in the league with his home team.
The Vikings will have to decide whether to keep a fullback on the roster. However, the leadership that Ham has brought to the organisation will be the hardest thing to replace.
It will be a strange sight next season if Smith and Ham are not around.
Looking to 2026
2025 will go down as a difficult season that was defined by issues at the quarterback position. The team finished strong, which should give cause for encouragement, but the question marks at QB remain and will be one of the two big stories of the offseason.
The other story will be the future of defensive coordinator Brian Flores. His first head coaching job in Miami ended on a sour note that has put teams off since.
He has done a phenomenal job with the Vikings’ defense, but arguably more importantly, working with O’Connell may have changed his outlook and attitude towards coaching people.
Could that be the key to a team like the Las Vegas Raiders taking a chance on him? Flores will hope so, while Vikings fans will hope not.
One of the best stories of the final weeks of the season has been the emergence of Dallas Turner. The 2024 first-round pick has taken time to develop, but he has hit his stride to finish this season. Still only 22, I look forward to him getting even better next year.
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