The Minnesota Vikings’ season officially ended on Sunday, but the writing was on the wall much earlier than that.
After starting the year with promise at 3-2, they fizzled out after the bye week, losing six of their next seven games to all but end their playoff chances. When the odds officially hit zero in Week 15, all fans could look forward to was the draft and hope for a high pick.
Better draft positioning is nice, but if you told Vikings fans in November that they would finish above .500, they’d probably be ecstatic. A five-game winning streak to end the year made that a reality, and Minnesota finished 9-8, one win away from a playoff spot. Based on how the season started, that’s something to build upon.
If nothing else, it shows that the Vikings have the infrastructure to succeed. While other teams fire their coaches or consider firing them, Minnesota can head into the offseason with confidence, knowing it has a staff capable of winning even when the cards are stacked against them.
They also know they have the personnel. The defense was dominant during the five-game winning streak, and they got breakout years from Dallas Turner and Jalen Redmond. Turner had a team-leading eight sacks and four forced fumbles, while Redmond had six sacks of his own and was Minnesota’s highest graded interior lineman on PFF. They’ll likely have to find a replacement for Harrison Smith, but they have the players and the infrastructure to build on this momentum.
If you look at teams with similar records to the Vikings, there are questions about the players, the coaching staff, and the front office. Minnesota is fortunate to know it can at least win with what it has on the field, which is more important than a better draft pick.
The way they finished probably doesn’t instill much confidence. J.J. McCarthy missed time in three of their final five games, so while it would be nice for him to get NFL reps and show some improvement, there wasn’t a lot to be seen. Instead, his health and his skill are being questioned going into next season.
As a starter, McCarthy went 6-4 with 11 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, and a 57.6 completion percentage. Meanwhile, Max Brosmer started two games with no TDs and four INTs, throwing four interceptions against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 13. The two QBs were the fifth- and sixth-worst by total EPA in the league this season.
Think about it this way: The Vikings had some of the worst QB play in the league and still finished with a winning record. If they can get even a slight improvement out of McCarthy, this is a playoff team next year. Even if they can’t, they will likely find a competent backup to spell him and still succeed, since head coach Kevin O’Connell was able to win a game with Brosmer starting. If they get more consistency from their QB, the sky is the limit.
The important thing now is to hold on to Brian Flores and the rest of the staff. With six head coach openings, Flores will be a name to watch, especially after his defense finished top three in the NFL in yards per play and EPA per play.
It wasn’t the most fun Vikings season to witness. Still, there are positives to build on, and it showed that the right people are in place to turn it around.