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Minnesota Vikings News and Links: What Is Your Schedule Prediction?
Can the Vikings make the playoffs?
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Obviously, the entire season outcome depends on how well JJ McCarthy plays. We all want for it to be very successful. We will have to be patient but the hoping for a very bright future is the only mindset you should have. We assume all rookies will have some bumps along the way. It is going to be up to the rest of the offense to help JJ as much as possible. I think 11-6 or 12-5 sounds like a doable goal.
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NFL schedule: Each NFC team’s win total projection for 2025 season
https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-schedule-each-nfc-team-s-win-total-projection-for-2025-season
Wins 8.7
Win Total: over 8.5 (+125)
Make Playoffs: +130
Win Division: +360
Win Conference: +1200
Win Super Bowl: +2800
Vikings’ complete 2025 NFL schedule
Guys, it’s fortunate that the Vikings are playing back-to-back games abroad. The Jags have done it in each of the last two seasons, going 3-1 in those games, and it could bode well for Minnesota, depending on when the Browns arrive in England, as that component does impact win potential. The Vikings’ season largely hinges on how new starting QB J.J. McCarthy will perform — not their schedule.
https://www.profootballnetwork.com/nfl-playoff-predictor
Ran it six time before making the playoffs.
7-10
9-8
10-7
8-9
7-10
10-7 (six seed – yes!)
Minnesota Vikings News and Links
Minnesota Vikings 2025 Schedule: 10 Takeaways
1. Historic double dips before bye
The Vikings will open on the road at the Chicago Bears for a Monday Night Football contest and follow by hosting the Atlanta Falcons in Week 2 on Sunday Night Football.
It’s not unusual for teams that were successful in the previous season to make multiple appearances in prime time, but a team opening with back-to-back night games doesn’t happen often.
That’s not the only double dip. By now you’ve heard the Vikings will become the first team in NFL history to play consecutive international games as the road team and the first to appear in two countries other than the United States in one season.
3. Rolling 7: Exclusive-window games
Consider it a sign of respect.
The Vikings are scheduled to participate in seven “exclusive-window games” meaning they’ll be involved in the only NFL game in a particular time slot.
5. A fearsome foursome
No, the Rams aren’t on the schedule. No need to worry about the legacy of Deacon Jones, Merlin Olsen, Rosey Grier or Lamar Lundy reincarnate.
But the stretch against the Eagles, Chargers, Lions and Ravens is a four-game run against teams that were a combined 52-16 during the 2024 regular season.
10. Might hit a bit of weather late in the season
The Vikings will have a trio of outdoor games in the back half of the season, beginning with that trip to Green Bay on Nov. 23 and a jaunt to the Pacific Northwest the following week, where it was rainy and sub-50 last December in Minnesota’s Week 16 win at Seattle.
Throw in Week 16 at the New York Giants, and things could look a little different than they did when Minnesota opened 2024 there on a 64-degree day last September.
Five takeaways from Minnesota Vikings’ 2025 regular-season schedule
Lots of national TV games
The Vikings have a whopping seven nationally-televised games this year. They’ll play twice on Sunday night, once on Monday night, twice on Thursdays (including a Christmas Day game against the Detroit Lions) and twice in international games. Those matchups will be broadcast on networks like ESPN, NBC, NFL Network, Prime Video and Netflix.
Seven national games might seem like a lot for a team with a preseason Vegas win total of just 8.5, but the Vikings have plenty of juicy storylines this year. Leading the way, of course, is former 10th overall pick and Michigan national champion J.J. McCarthy taking over for Sam Darnold as the starting quarterback of a team that won 14 games last year.
Toughest stretch comes from Week 7-10
The Vikings will hope to be at least 3-2 or 4-1 as they go into the bye week, because things get really difficult on the other side. On Oct. 19, they’ll host the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles at U.S. Bank Stadium. That’s followed by a trip west on a short week to play Jim Harbaugh’s Los Angeles Chargers in L.A. Then they go to Detroit to face the Lions (who have beaten them five times in a row) before coming home to face Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens. Those four teams went a combined 52-16 in the regular season last year. Even managing two wins in that stretch would be pretty impressive.
Way-too-early Minnesota Vikings 2025 game-by-game predictions
Conclusion
You think 14-3 is crazy? This team went 14-3 with Sam Darnold last season. The schedule is a bit tough on paper in 2025-26, but the weak spots on the roster have been addressed and the fact that Minnesota has been staunch in its belief in J.J. McCarthy is good reason to believe he’ll live up to the hype. You don’t pass on Aaron Rodgers unless you have a QB who you truly believe can take your team to the promised land. Kevin O’Connell won 13 games as a rookie head coach and then kept the Vikings alive with a smorgasbord of quarterbacks following Kirk Cousins’ Achilles injury in 2023. Fourteen wins later with Darnold, there’s just zero reason to think the Vikings won’t put together an even better season under O’Connell in 2025-26.
Vikings’ Final Record:
Record: 12-5 It’s a tough schedule for the Vikings, as they have to play the entire NFC East and AFC North. The one thing the Vikings have going for them is their roster is deep. If McCarthy plays just average football, 12 wins is a likely number, but don’t be surprised if there is an extra loss or two. This is a huge season for the Vikings, and it looks like it’ll be a successful one.
Minnesota Vikings schedule: Games, dates, TV channels, predictions for 2025
Vikings record prediction 2025
Record prediction: 11-6
The Vikings should compete for the NFC North title once again. That said, they may log fewer wins this season as the whole division faces a much tougher schedule.
Minnesota has the fifth-hardest projected schedule in 2025, per Sharp Football Analysis. That’s not only because of the strength of the NFC North; it’s also because the division is set to play the AFC North and NFC East, two of the league’s toughest divisions, as part of the NFL’s rotating schedule.
That will be a daunting test for the Vikings, especially McCarthy. He will be tasked with quickly acclimating himself to the NFL and finding ways to immediately beat top-tier teams.
The Vikings have the talent needed to support McCarthy in his quest to become a strong starter. That should allow Minnesota to remain a winning team, especially considering the work the Vikings have done to bolster the trenches on both sides of the ball.1
NFL Insider Reveals Surprising Vikings News After International Schedule Announcement
However, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell welcomed the challenge with open arms and reportedly pursued the “opportunity.”
According to USA Today’s Nate Davis, several anonymous sources said the Vikings “sought the opportunity” to play in the league’s first regular-season game in Ireland, adding to an expected trip to London.
“The two-game trip gives us an unbelievable opportunity to take our team on the road, get away from a lot of the day-to-day things that may be pulling players in any other direction. It feels almost like a training camp,” O’Connell said in a May 12 news conference. “It feels almost like a trip to allow us to come together closer than ever, build our team camaraderie and culture even stronger, which has been such a strong asset to us over three years here.”
“From a football side of it, both opponents that we’ll play,” said O’Connell, “have very high-quality home atmospheres in their home stadiums here in the United States. So to get to play them not at their home stadium – tough division, the AFC North tends to be year-in and year-out … we found that to be a potential bonus for our football team, as well as getting the opportunity to have a trip together where we can continue to build our team, our camaraderie.”
Yes, Minnesota signed a couple of high-end defensive tackles this offseason in Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave, but the Bears famously rebooted their offensive line, adding Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson via trade, Drew Dalman via free agency, and Ozzy Trapilo via the draft.
Does this plethora of activity give either team the edge? Hard to know without having seen how the new dudes mesh with the old dudes, but on paper, it’s more-or-less a draw.
But that’s until you add Ben Johnson into the equation.
We don’t have any official metrics on this, but if we were to guess, the Bears’ new head coach will improve individual offensive production by something like 19.6%, give or take. That being the case, let’s see which Bears skill players will crush it on Opening Night.
Vikings Linebacker Blake Cashman Seen as Underrated Player in Brian Flores’ Defense
PFF writer Jonathon Macri picked one player from each NFL team as the most underrated player. Macri went with starting inside linebacker Blake Cashman for the Vikings after his rise to starter over the last two years.
“Cashman is a relative unknown in the league as a former fifth-round pick who, outside of his rookie season and prior to becoming a starter in 2023, had failed to crack 150 defensive snaps in three straight years.”
“However, Cashman broke out in a big way in 2023 with the Texans, earning a top-10 PFF overall grade for his position (82.1), which helped him land a three-year deal with Brian Flores in Minnesota. Cashman delivered another strong year in 2024, playing a career-high 947 defensive snaps, ranking 22nd in PFF overall grade (72.0) and faring well in run defense (76.3).”
Latest Jordan Addison update gives Minnesota Vikings some clarity regarding start of 2025 season
One of those players is wide receiver Jordan Addison. After being the 23rd overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Addison has had legal issues on multiple occasions. Both of them came while operating a motor vehicle.
His latest instance came back in July of 2024 where he was arrested on charges of Driving Under the Influence in California. That case still hasn’t been resolved, but we are moving closer to one.
ESPN’s Kevin Seifert reported that a jury trial has officially been scheduled for June 16th, one day after a pre-trial conference was held. The trial will occur in the Supreme Court of California.
No matter the result of the trial for Addison, he is likely to receive a suspension for his actions. The standard personal conduct policy suspension for a DUI has been three games, which could end up being impactful for McCarthy as he gets his feet wet.
Remember, the NFL doesn’t need a conviction in order to give out a punishment; they just wait until the case is officially closed before they make a judgment.
How to get a free Vikings tattoo
Green River Tattoo in Minneapolis is hosting a free tattoo flash event Thursday starting at noon. The Minnesota Vikings will cover the cost of 50 tats, valued at $300 each.
The event is first-come, first-served, and customers can pick one of six different Vikings-themed designs to have permanently inked on their arms or legs.
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