Vikings Season Preview and Record Prediction
At the start of the fourth quarter in the Minnesota Vikings’ Week Eight matchup against the Green Bay Packers, Vikings fans' hopes were at an all-time high. Coming off of a huge victory over the San Francisco 49ers the week before, and star wide receiver Justin Jefferson on his way back from a hamstring injury, the ship looked to finally be headed in the right direction. However, two minutes into the fourth quarter of that Week Eight game, an Achilles tear injury would bring an abrupt end to the hopes of many Minnesota Vikings faithful. Needless to say, as a result of injuries and poor early season turnover margin, the 2023-24 season was a complete disappointment for the Minnesota Vikings. This disappointment led to the front office in Minnesota making a multitude of different changes that they hope will result in a much more successful record at the end of their 2024-25 campaign.
The offseason started with a huge change at the quarterback position. Seeing veteran Kirk Cousins leave the team to join the Atlanta Falcons, the team was forced to seek outside options to fill his role. Minnesota landed on signing journeyman Sam Darnold and used one of their first-round draft picks to draft Michigan prospect J.J McCarthy. Unfortunately, McCarthy suffered a meniscus tear in the Vikings’ first preseason game and he will miss the remainder of the season as a result. This means Sam Darnold will be looked at to bring some consistency to an offense that is loaded with talent. Minnesota also went under a defensive overhaul during the offseason bringing in six new starters through the draft and free agency. Based on all of these changes, the Vikings are primed for a very different season than last year’s team.
Expect the Vikings to start off strong with a win in Week One against a sub-par New York Giants squad, after this, Minnesota might see some early season struggles losing their next five games to the 49ers, Texans, Packers, Jets, and Lions. If the Vikings are able to get through this skid without losing team morale they should be primed for a mid-season hot streak. I predict six straight wins against the Rams, Colts, Jaguars, Titans, Bears, and Cardinals. This will have Minnesota sitting with a record of 7-5 heading into the last five weeks of the season, with three of those final games being crucial divisional matchups. My prediction is that the Vikings will start this five-game stretch with losses to both the Atlanta Falcons and Chicago Bears. However, they will recover from this with vital wins over the Seahawks, Packers, and Lions in weeks 16,17, and 18 to finish out the regular season with a record of 10-7. This should set the Vikings up with a strong position to be in contention for a wild card spot or even an NFC North Division Title. Only time will tell, but the front office in Minnesota has certainly made the necessary moves in order to instill a change in the on-field performance for the Vikes.
