This is it. It’s time for the future of the Minnesota Vikings to take the stage. A very confusing and injury riddled series of events culminated through the first eight weeks of the Minnesota Vikings’ season. An odds defying 4th quarter comeback started the season against Chicago and was followed up by a massacre against the Atlanta Falcons.
Those games preceded a stretch of inconsistent defense, middling quarterback play, losing the turnover battle, a 38-point win, atrocious blocking, and Carson Wentz going out and sacrificing himself to give our young quarterbacks just one more week to get ready.
Embrace the power of the dark side.
After nursing a high ankle sprain for six weeks, McCarthy should be at 100%. Looking at him jump out of the way of the sideline during last Thursday’s game, he should be ready to go. He has come a long way, physically, from the Anakin Skywalker version we saw of him while he was recovering from his torn meniscus last season. He seems to be in great shape and maybe used that time off the field to get his body more ready to be an NFL player.
Conspiracy theorists will say that McCarthy was actually benched, and the high ankle sprain was just an excuse to keep him out of the lineup. It is not out of the realm of possibility that he was truly injured, since a high ankle sprain can linger for multiple weeks.
However, it’s not impossible, heck it’s not even improbable that the Vikings were using this injury to give McCarthy some more time to develop. He hasn’t had a full week of practice since the injury, this is true, but that only pertains to team led activities. That doesn’t mean he wasn’t hitting the weight room, practicing separate of the team, or doing things that will make him better.
It’s been hard to watch.
We have seen throughout history that sometimes conspiracy theories and the truth are not mutually exclusive. O’Connell’s reasoning for caution was about mechanics and making sure McCarthy had full mobility because, frankly, he’s going to need it. It is no surprise, because of the constant shuffling of personnel, that our offensive line has looked atrocious, which in turn made the Carson Wentz experience one to watch only while peeking through two fingers with your hands over your eyes.
Every play was like opening a Wonder Ball, except sometimes instead of a prize, you go a ball of chocolate filled with sand. Wentz definitely left some plays out there, but on many occasions, he had a snowball’s chance in hell at completing a pass. I have taken upon myself the grueling task of analyzing every sack so far this season. I am currently looking at weeks 5 and 7, while absolutely dreading rewatching every sack from Carson Wentz’ likely last game of his NFL career.
Show us what you’re made of.
The bottom line is this: the Vikings MUST beat the Detroit Lions on Sunday. The season is 100% on the line. I believe in J.J. McCarthy’s future, but if the entire team doesn’t shape up, it won’t matter how much he improves over the course of the rest of the season. KO and staff have been incredibly cautious with player injuries so far this season, which I think could end up being a solid strategy. I would rather have a sluggish start and be close to full strength for an end-of-season stretch run, than be 5-2 or 6-1 right now. What’s the old adage? It’s not how you start; it’s how you finish.
What is missing? An identity, that’s what.
In order to even be in a position to make a run at the playoffs, something’s got to give. The defense has looked off this season as they have been up and down while getting gashed on the ground in multiple games. The pass defense has held up well, for the most part, which is a complete 180 from a year ago.
In 2024, the Vikings were so good at stopping the run, that teams had to pass on them at an incredibly high rate. So, what’s different this year? The front office brought in Hargrave and Allen to shore up the defensive line but also lost Harrison Phillips in the process. I think we might be missing his presence and leadership, although Levi Drake-Rodriguez has looked good at times this season.
During the 2024 season, life as a Vikings fan was like a movie. I believe we still have great leaders on the defense, but the loss of Cam Bynum may have hurt more than anticipated. Theo Jackson was meant to replace him, but hasn’t brought the same spark that Beezy did. Look at the newly rejuvenated Indianapolis Colts. Yes, they have a monstrous offensive line, even after losing Ryan Kelly and Will Fries to the Vikings in free agency, but the defensive has a new identity as well. In comparison, Minnesota has yet to find a defensive identity this season.
Another bit of magic that has faded since last season, is the team playing to honor Khyree Jackson. The tragic loss of the rookie cornerback really brought the team together for a common purpose. With a lot of new faces, many of our current players had never met him. We were spoiled by an overachieving squad last year. We also had to face reality when everything completely fell apart in the final two games of the season.
In Gink we trust.
So, where’s the silver lining? The hope is that we are getting Andrew Van Ginkel back, the player I believe to be the best on this defense. He may be the most underrated player in the NFL. Dallas Turner has been serviceable in Van Ginkel’s absence, but he is clearly, at this point in his career, not the same caliber of player as Van Ginkel. The defense just looks and feels different with #43 in the lineup.
Jonathan Greenard will also benefit from having Gink on the other side of the line to help contain the quarterback. In a game of inches, this defense has the capability to tighten up, bounce back, and earn the right to wear the purple and gold.
Let the hate flow through you.
The only way this team gets it done is to play angry against Detroit. The defense needs to tackle well, disrupt the backfield, and take the ball away. The offense needs to fight harder than it has all season. I want to see this offensive line maul some Lions defenders. This run game needs to be effective as well.
Jordan Mason is one of the more violent running backs in the league, and he needs to be a huge part of the short yardage gameplan. O’Connell, as great as he can be, needs to stop trying to gain twenty yards on third and one, and just keep drives going to maintain momentum. If the Lions come out and have an eight- or nine-minute drive for a touchdown to start the game, we’re cooked. Minnesota needs to control the tempo, control the line of scrimmage, and play like their season is on the line: because it is.
The final stand.
For all intents and purposes, the playoffs start now. The Vikings need to get on a hot streak and string together some wins to avoid falling into the abyss that is irrelevancy. This is the point of no return. 4-4 is a heck of a lot better than 3-5. A .500 record is manageable. It puts the Vikings in a position to make a run for a wild card spot. At the rate Green Bay and Detroit are going, we might be fighting for the seventh seed.
Regardless, this team needs to show that they deserve to be talked about as contenders. J.J. needs to absolutely ball out and shut up all the doubters saying that we should have kept Darnold. I wish he had time to slowly develop, but with this roster, he needs to be the franchise guy NOW. No more waiting, no more injuries, no excuses, just winning football. That’s what we need to see. I am not alone still believing in the 2025 Minnesota Vikings, but it’s high time for this team to reward the faith of their fans!
It’s not over until it’s over. More is required. SKOL VIKINGS!!!
Until Next Time.
- Jesse M.
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