Looking ahead to the schedule and giving a way too early prediction, I can see the games going down like this …<\/p>\n
Eagles (home): Loss
\nRavens (home): Loss
\nLions (home and away): Win and Loss
\nPackers (home and away): Win and Loss
\nCommanders (home): Win
\nBengals (home): Win
\nChargers (away): Win
\nBears (home and away): Win and Loss
\nSteelers (away): Win
\nFalcons (home): Win
\nSeahawks (away): Loss
\nCowboys (away): Loss
\nBrowns (away): Win
\nGiants (away): Win<\/p>\n
10-7 record.<\/p>\n
What do you think the record will be?<\/p>\n
Minnesota Vikings News and Links<\/p>\n
Vikings Get Bad News Ahead of 2025 NFL Schedule Announcement<\/a><\/p>\n The car is fully tuned for J.J. McCarthy to take it for his first joyride and see how far he can go.<\/p>\n Five teams the Vikings face this season ranked in the top 10p-10 in total pressures last season. The Steelers, Eagles, Browns and Cowboys finished last season with the top-four pass-rushing grades by Pro Football Focus (PFF), respectively.<\/p>\n The onus will be on the Vikings\u2019 supporting cast to keep McCarthy clean as he develops and catches up to the speed of the NFL.<\/p>\n Vikings projected to have one of NFL\u2019s five hardest schedules in 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Here\u2019s a look at Minnesota\u2019s opponents, sorted by Vegas win total. (The Vikings\u2019 total is 8.5). They\u2019re playing against the NFC East, the AFC North, and second-place teams from the NFC South, NFC West, and AFC West.<\/p>\n Eagles (home): 11.5<\/p>\n Ravens (home): 11.5<\/p>\n Lions (home and away): 10.5<\/p>\n Packers (home and away): 9.5<\/p>\n Commanders (home): 9.5<\/p>\n Bengals (home): 9.5<\/p>\n Chargers (away): 9.5<\/p>\n Bears (home and away): 8.5<\/p>\n Steelers (away): 8.5<\/p>\n Falcons (home): 7.5<\/p>\n Seahawks (away): 7.5<\/p>\n Cowboys (away): 7.5<\/p>\n Browns (away): 5.5<\/p>\n Giants (away): 5.5<\/p>\n One interesting aspect of the Vikings\u2019 schedule is that outside of the annual divisional games, their home slate looks a lot tougher than their road slate. The glass-half-full view of that quirk is that playing tougher opponents like the Eagles and Ravens at home gives Kevin O\u2019Connell\u2019s team a better chance to pull off the upset, and trips to play teams like the Browns and Giants present opportunities for road wins. The glass-half-empty view is that they may not have any slam-dunk home games against bad teams (not that there are ever any guaranteed wins in the NFL).<\/p>\n One reason not to be too concerned about this strength of schedule ranking? The exact same thing was true heading into last season. This time last year, the Vikings also had the fifth-toughest SOS in the league, using Vegas win totals. Then a bunch of teams on their schedule \u2014 the 49ers, Jets, Falcons, Jaguars, Titans, Bears, and Giants \u2014 underperformed their preseason totals. Other than the Falcons (-1.5), each of those teams finished at least 3.5 wins under their projection. The Vikings went 8-0 against that group and recorded 14 total wins, a whopping (and historic) 7.5 more than their preseason total.<\/p>\n Report: Vikings to play Steelers in Ireland in Week 4 of NFL schedule<\/a><\/p>\n According to a Pittsburgh sports radio host, the Steelers will host the Vikings in the NFL\u2019s first-ever game in Ireland on September 28.<\/p>\n The Steelers are already set as the home team for this year\u2019s game at Croke Park in Dublin. There\u2019s previously been buzz that the Vikings and Packers are among the possible opponents they could face. Recently, Andrew Fillipponi of 93.7 The Fan came out with a sourced report that says it\u2019ll be Minnesota against Pittsburgh, and the game will take place in Week 4 of the 2025 NFL season.<\/p>\n How Serious a Threat Are Vikings to Lions?<\/a><\/p>\n The Vikings won\u2019t be able to sneak up on teams and surprise anybody this upcoming season, after their 14-3 campaign a year ago. And now they\u2019ll also have to fend off the up-and-coming Bears, just like the rest of the division. <\/p>\n I expect Minnesota to be competitive once again in 2025. However, I don\u2019t expect O\u2019Connell\u2019s team to repeat as runners-up in the NFC North.<\/p>\n NFC North roundtable: Most intriguing draft picks, good and bad for each team<\/a><\/p>\n Minnesota Vikings<\/p>\n Most intriguing player: Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, DL, Georgia. This pick is quite exciting because this Vikings front office has had a knack for finding undersized talent in the late rounds or even as undrafted signees. Ivan Pace Jr. was one of the best linebackers in the country at Cincinnati before going undrafted, and he was an instant impact starter in the middle of Minnesota\u2019s defense. Ingram-Dawkins fits the undersized bill as a bit of a tweener playing on the defensive line. At 6-foot-5, 280 pounds, he doesn\u2019t fit the bill of a modern monster at defensive tackle, but the Vikings will be able to develop him into a versatile player who can rush from the edge and use his elite athletic traits to put pressure on quarterbacks from the interior. There\u2019s no rush to play him since Javon Hargrave, Jonathan Allen and Harrison Phillips will command the snaps in 2025. <\/p>\n The good and the bad: Getting Maryland wide receiver Tai Felton in the third round could be a steal. He\u2019s lightning-quick with explosive return traits. If Jalen Nailor doesn\u2019t make another jump in 2025, Felton could have the inside track to WR3. That could be a WR2 role right away since Jordan Addison could be facing a three-game suspension to start the season. <\/p>\n We\u2019re also waiting way too long to address the first-round pick, Donovan Jackson. He\u2019s an instant starter at left guard and should secure the final weak spot on Minnesota\u2019s offensive line. If he\u2019s legit, the Vikings will offer excellent pass protection for J.J. McCarthy while also having potential to dominate on the ground with Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason toting the rock. <\/p>\n The only bad part of the draft was the limited number of picks. Minnesota entered the draft with four picks and left it with five. The risk is that none of their picks are guaranteed to succeed, and that\u2019s dangerous for general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, who is on a lame-duck contract and completely whiffed on his first draft three years ago. <\/p>\n T.J. Hockenson compares J.J. McCarthy\u2019s \u2018sick\u2019 arm talent to Matthew Stafford<\/a><\/p>\n On Monday, tight end T.J. Hockenson raved about McCarthy during an interview on the Green Light Podcast with Chris Long. Specifically, Hockenson nodded to McCarthy\u2019s mind and \u201cinsane\u201d arm talent.<\/p>\n \u201cJ.J.\u2019s my dog. That\u2019s my guy. Great dude, great person. I can\u2019t say enough good things about him. He wants to be great in this league and you can tell that by his preparation,\u201d Hockenson said. \u201cI think he\u2019s going to be incredible and I can\u2019t wait for that to translate to Sunday.\u201d<\/p>\n Hockenson got an up close and personal look at McCarthy as both were in the training room recovering from knee injuries for the first half of the 2024 season. Hockenson was rehabbing a torn ACL that he suffered on Dec. 24, 2023 in a game against the Lions, while McCarthy was in the early stages of recovering from a torn meniscus that wiped out his rookie season after one exhibition game.<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t say enough good things about that guy. You\u2019re just going to have to see it when it comes around,\u201d Hockenson said.<\/p>\n When asked what McCarthy brings to the table as a separating attribute, Hockenson pointed to the 22-year-old\u2019s mind and arm talent.<\/p>\n \u201cIt really is his mind. He has a calming effect, but also an intentional effect when he\u2019s trying to communicate with you about what he wants on routes, what we want on routes. He\u2019s learning about us as an offense, us as wide receivers. He wants to know the game of football. That\u2019s huge as a young guy. You gotta be able to learn the game. It\u2019s a little different stepping from college to the NFL. These guys are a little smarter up here. They\u2019ll use their leverages, they\u2019ll take chances when they need to. To be able to learn that and learn the circumstances behind that and what they\u2019re doing is huge. He\u2019s always asking questions,\u201d Hockenson explained.<\/p>\n \u201cHis arm talent is there. He\u2019s got a sick arm. I told him this the other day, I said I remember catching passes from [Matthew Stafford] and it\u2019s one of those balls and it just zips on you. It looks like it\u2019s not coming, but it\u2019s coming \u2014 and J.J.\u2019s got the juice behind it where it kind of has that effect. It doesn\u2019t look like it\u2019s coming, it\u2019s a tight spiral, but it\u2019s coming. It\u2019s humming in the air. He\u2019s got an insane talent, arm talent, and really the personality he has goes really well and I think he\u2019s going to have a long career.\u201d<\/p>\n Notably, McCarthy fired a football 61 mph at the NFL combine before the 2024 draft. The record at the combine is 62 mph by Josh Allen and Joe Milton, so there\u2019s hard data to support the zip Hockenson is talking about.<\/p>\n Jim Harbaugh on \u2018beloved son\u2019 J.J. McCarthy: \u2018Vikings fans are going to be really happy with J.J.\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cA beloved son, J.J,\u201d Harbaugh said. \u201cThat\u2019s one, yeah, it\u2019ll be nostalgic now, but I know once we gotta \u2026 I\u2019m just envisioning playing. He\u2019s a tremendous competitor. It\u2019s great. You get a little nostalgic about it, and just so happy for each and every one of the guys. And now you\u2019re talking about long and trusting friendships.\u201d<\/p>\n Harbaugh believes Minnesota fans should be excited about McCarthy as their quarterback.<\/p>\n \u201cVikings fans are going to be really happy, as well, with J.J. McCarthy,\u201d Harbaugh stated. <\/p>\n \u201cPeople get worried, [but] that\u2019s the nature of the business. The predictions of what\u2019s going to happen is for the palm readers. But for J.J. McCarthy, [former Michigan tight end and No. 10 overall pick to the Chicago Bears] Colston Loveland, all of us, this is about each day \u2014 attacking each day, see if we can\u2019t make today better than yesterday, see if we can\u2019t make tomorrow better than today and have at it.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd then the games will come, and that\u2019s the magic. Real time, real things happening, crowd right there. That\u2019s the kinda stuff that we live for.\u201d<\/p>\n Anonymous NFL exec makes wild claim about J.J. McCarthy, Sam Howell<\/a><\/p>\n Sam Howell, the former Commanders starter and Seahawks backup Minnesota acquired in a trade during last weekend\u2019s draft, is QB2. Brett Rypien and Max Brosmer will compete for the QB3 job.<\/p>\n However, one anonymous NFL executive doesn\u2019t exactly see it that way. In a recent story done by Mike Sando at The Athletic (subscription required), the exec \u2014 who \u201cwasn\u2019t high on McCarthy\u201d coming out of Michigan \u2014 had this wild take on the Vikings\u2019 QB room in 2025:<\/p>\n \u201cYou know what is going to happen? J.J. is going to get banged up, and Howell is going to walk in there and become the next Sam Darnold.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cStop,\u201d said another executive in Sando\u2019s story. \u201cThere\u2019s no comparison. J.J. will be really good, and the coach (Kevin O\u2019Connell) will make sure he is good.\u201d<\/p>\n