Vikings operating again Jordan Mason fights by way of contact close to the purpose line at U.S. Financial institution Stadium as Minnesota finishes a landing towards Philadelphia in a house matchup. On Oct. 19, 2025, Mason powered into the top zone towards the Eagles, giving the Vikings a bodily scoring second from the workforce’s official recreation footage. Necessary Credit score: YouTube.
The NFL common season is now lower than 9 weeks away, and when the Minnesota Vikings get there, they’re supposed to complete 8-9 or 9-8, in accordance with sportsbooks. It’s the identical forecast that adopted the franchise in the summertime of 2024 earlier than Minnesota chipped off 14 wins. With such a mediocre projection, the membership will need to have some purple flags, proper?
Certainly, and we’re right here to raise up the primary ones. The purple flags are ranked in ascending order (No. 1 = greatest purple flag).
Vikings’ Largest Concern Nonetheless Begins at QB
Minnesota Vikings operating again Aaron Jones celebrates with Justin Jefferson at U.S. Financial institution Stadium after scoring within the fourth quarter towards the Arizona Cardinals. On Dec. 1, 2024, Jones marked the landing beside Minnesota’s star huge receiver because the Vikings pushed by way of one other late-game sequence in entrance of their house crowd. Necessary Credit score: Brad Rempel-Imagn Pictures.
Bonus: No Recreation-Altering RB
VikingsTerritory mentions the speeding offense — and has completed so for 4 years — a lot that it at all times feels just like the solar rising.
Minnesota ranked nineteenth in 2025 per speeding playcall proportion. One of the best groups — ones that win Tremendous Bowls — run the soccer at a extra balanced clip. Then, each summer season, the Vikings coaches outwardly profess that they’re going to run the rock extra and solely effectuate that mission a teensy bit.
The underlying downside? The workforce doesn’t have a younger, game-changing operating again. That was Dalvin Prepare dinner 9 years in the past, and he’s lengthy gone. Rookie Demond Claiborne may fill this function, however Sixth-Spherical tailbacks normally find yourself as RB3s or out of the league.
Minnesota’s predominant operating backs are Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason. The duo just isn’t overly dynamic.
5. iOL Depth
These are the Vikings’ inside offensive line starters:Donovan Jackson (LG), Blake Brandel (C), and Will Fries (RG).
These are the Vikings’ inside offensive line predominant backups:Joe Huber (LG), Michael Jurgens (C), and Henry Byrd (RG).
Minnesota is one iOL harm away from severe heartburn.
4. Win-Now Head Coach v. Model New GM
Most coaches don’t enter Yr No. 5 with franchises sans a playoff win. However Kevin O’Connell will.
The Vikings are in the course of their third-longest playoff win drought in franchise historical past, and whereas nobody is vociferously screaming about O’Connell on the recent seat, doesn’t he need to, you realize, win a postseason recreation sooner slightly than later?
In the meantime, Minnesota fired Kwesi Adofo-Mensah in January and employed new basic supervisor Nolan Teasley about 5 weeks in the past. Teasley in all probability doesn’t suppose, “Oh, dear God, this team must win now.” He’s seemingly — hopefully — making ready the franchise for the long run.
If O’Connell wants a participant through commerce earlier than the deadline in November, for instance, will Teasley be prepared to tug the set off on a draft decide? There’s some self-imposed friction right here — a head coach who should win versus a basic supervisor who simply walked by way of safety.
3. Ruthless NFC Competitors
As lately as three years in the past, the NFC North at all times had a workforce to beat up. They simply did. It was normally the Detroit Lions, typically intermixed with a mediocre-to-poor Chicago Bears workforce. The Vikings have additionally been mediocre each different yr since 2012.
Inexperienced Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love is introduced down by Minnesota Vikings linebacker Dallas Turner at Lambeau Subject throughout a division matchup in Inexperienced Bay. On Nov. 23, 2025, Turner completed the sack within the first half, giving Brian Flores’ protection a key strain second towards Love and the Packers’ offense. Necessary Credit score: Kayla Wolf-Imagn Pictures.
The times of 1 pushover workforce within the NFC North are gone. Oddsmakers venture each workforce to win at the least eight video games. Each NFC North matchup options, at the least, a Wildcard playoff degree of issue.
Even when Minnesota is nice, 10-7 or so often is the ceiling inside a vicious division.
2. OLB Depth
The Eagles acquired Jonathan Greenard through commerce in April, and the Vikings went from showcasing the OLB room as its deepest unit to a roster query mark. As a substitute of Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, and Dallas Turner — “too much of a good thing” — it’s Van Ginkel, Turner, and presumably Bo Richter, Jake Golday, and Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins. There’s real uncertainty at OLB3, one thing Vikings followers haven’t skilled in years.
In fact, this downside is well fixable: Teasley may signal Von Miller, Jadeveon Clowney, or Leonard Floyd after breakfast at this time. He has $13 million in cap area.
However till he does that, Vikings soccer is one harm away from displaying Dallas Turner and Bo Richter as the primary OLBs on the sphere on any given Sunday.
1. QB Uncertainty
It’s terrific to have quarterback depth like Kyler Murray, J.J. McCarthy, Carson Wentz, and Max Brosmer. Positive. If one quarterback will get harm, Minnesota has choices, not like 2023 and 2025 when it needed to scramble and hope for the perfect.
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray throws throughout minicamp at TCO Efficiency Heart in Eagan as he works by way of summer season reps inside Kevin O’Connell’s offense. In June 2026, the veteran passer continued studying the system after signing in March, making ready for a high-profile quarterback competitors inside Minnesota’s reshaped QB room earlier than coaching camp arrived. Necessary Credit score: YouTube.
Right here’s the one downside with having no declared QB1 by July: no different NFC North workforce is in that place. The Bears have Caleb Williams. The Lions had Jared Goff. The Packers have Jordan Love. Minnesota is the one NFC North squad with an enormous quarterback thriller.
Usually talking, it’s higher to be within the different boat.
Dustin Baker is a novelist and political scientist. His second novel, The Invaders , is out now. So is … Extra about Dustin Baker
