The Minnesota Vikings season has come to an end. It’s a season that ended on a five-game win streak that feels a little superficial. The results weren’t what the team wanted. Coming off a 14-3 season, a 5 win drop is always going to be disappointing. J.J. McCarthy missed more games and the QB position was a mess all year. The defense really came on strong in December, but it was too late. When the team wins, we do a player of the week and when they lose, we do a Nincompoop of the Week. Missing the playoffs is an L, so we’ll start here.
Also, it’s the Nincompoop of the Week. We’re talking about adults that get paid a lot to do a very public job. Only a Nincompoop would actually take offense.
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah
Kwesi made several big moves this offseason, with the most impactful being at quarterback. Rumor has it that Kwesi’s team tried to re-sign both Daniel Jones and Sam Darnold. The prices were too high, the situation wasn’t right, or whatever reason we may never know the full truth. The fact is the team ended up with J.J. McCarthy coming off an injury, Carson Wentz, and undrafted Max Brosmer. Vikings fans were forced to watch Darnold lead Seattle to the #1 seed in the NFC. Daniel Jones never joined the Vikings, so it’s hard to fault Kwesi for that. He was leading a run first offense in Indianapolis well until his injury. Kwesi tried to revamp the OL with veterans Will Fries and Ryan Kelly, with limited results. The same could be said for the veteran pair of DL Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave. Those additions leave the Vikings over the cap heading into the offseason. The team spent a lot of money and the results didn’t match that investment. First round pick Donovan Jackson has shown some promise and looks to be a decent pick. (OG in the 1st round is expensive if it doesn’t hit.) Tai Felton wasn’t a good pick based on rookie season production and others picked around him. His 3 receptions for 25 yards were less than desirable considering Jordan Addison missed time early. I haven’t even mentioned the wasted pick sent for Adam Thielen. The 5 win drop is always going to call for a lot of criticism. With Kwesi, his job is also to look at the next 2-3 seasons as well. He appears to have failed the 2025 Vikings and set himself up in a precarious position for 2026 and beyond. For all of those reasons, and a few I am sure I forgot, Kwesi is a good candidate for Nincompoop of the Year.
Kevin O’Connell
KOC came into the season confident. It’s easy to see why considering the results he had squeezed out of the team his first 3 seasons (not considering the playoffs). O’Connell collectively with Kwesi allowed/decided to move on at the QB position to J.J. McCarthy. The comments outward to the media were all positive, but they always are in the offseason. KOC is the QB ‘whisperer’ and the team had to put their faith in his input. That decision isn’t the only reason for the team’s failure. The play calling on 3rd and 4th and short is abysmal and the execution is even worse. There seems to be very little progress in getting that issue resolved. O’Connell is also one of the most conservative coaches on 4th down decisions. He has been left behind in today’s analytical world. The failure to adapt on short yardage, situation/clock management, and his input on the QB make him a solid candidate for Nincompoop of the Year.
J.J. McCarthy
McCarthy saw his first real action in the NFL this season. It wasn’t all bad, but it got almost as bad as it gets mid season. J.J. Two Picks was a rough patch to watch after he returned from injury. McCarthy’s mechanics cause him to be wildly inaccurate far too often. He has all the ‘arm talent’ to play the position. The rest of it, is still uncertain. The ‘Nine’ personality he adapted to show his intensity, can sometimes come off as performative. Not his fault, but he also missed significant amounts of time. He couldn’t finish Sunday’s Week 18 game because of his hand fracture. He missed a few open receivers, as most young QBs do. So I can give him a pass on not reading a defense perfectly yet. However, when all the others come into play, it’s hard to feel confident about McCarthy being your franchise QB. Because of that, he’ll likely see some competition come in this offseason.
Justin Jefferson
Jefferson got over the 1,000 yard tally on Sunday with just his 3rd 100 yard game of the season. The team finished 1/2 a game out of the final playoff spot. The mid-season struggles of J.J. McCarthy were exaggerated by the drops from Jefferson, Addison, Hockenson, and several veteran pass catchers. Jefferson is the star and needs to make plays to elevate his teammates. The drops when McCarthy was struggling to keep drives moving were devastating. I can’t help but wonder what could’ve been for a few of those games if they were able to continue to move the ball and build confidence. Jefferson disappeared when he was needed. I have to give him some grace with how he handled the limited statistics and targets, but it’s a lot to do with how poorly he and the receivers caught the ball. Jefferson is the best player on this team, there is no doubt, but this will not be a season he wants to remember when it is all said and done.
Matt Daniels
I am surprised Daniels made it through to season. There was a period of time where you expected a penalty on every kick return and a huge return on every kick off. Not that the Vikings kicked off a lot. The penalties always seemed to come at the worst timing. Myles Price fumbled back to back kickoffs against the Ravens. Later in that same game, the team had a holding penalty on a punt return that backed them up inside the 10, down by once score in the 4th quarter. Daniels’ unit cost them at least one game this season. His saving grace is the superb kicking of Will Reichard. He has been a beast. I don’t know how much Daniels gets credit for his success, but he’s one of the best kickers in the game.
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