The Minnesota Vikings may have a first-time starter at quarterback in 2025. But that doesn’t mean they can’t go on a serious playoff run, says ESPN.
Seth Walder shared a season-long projection for the entire 2025 NFL season. Each season, he runs 10,000 simulations, and from there, he selects one random simulation. For example, the simulation he shared last year had the Vikings go 4-13.
But this specific simulation for the 2025 season, No. 4,091, is much more favorable to the Vikings.
In this simulation, the Vikings finish second in the NFC North with a 10-7 record. As the NFC’s No. 5 seed, they go to Jerry World to face the Dallas Cowboys, squeezing out a 10-9 victory. One week later, they defeat the Arizona Cardinals by a score of 28-22, earning their first trip to the NFC Championship Game since 2017.
Unfortunately, the simulation predicts another NFC Championship loss. The Vikings travel to Tampa Bay to play the Buccaneers, but lose 28-13. But the Bucs ultimately get trounced by the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl LV, 55-23.
It may be a disappointing ending, but the idea of the Vikings making it to the NFC Championship in Year 1 with McCarthy bodes well for the future. Unlike past playoff runs, the Vikings have a young head coach-QB combination that should be able to compete for many years to come.
That could, and should, ease the sting of another championship game loss.