The Minnesota Vikings are in a great spot to make a major run going into the 2025 season, but their prospects for that run are definitely not universal across the media.
During his show earlier this week, Fox Sports' Colin Cowherd came out harsh against the Vikings for their 2025 season and did so by burying them compared to their contemporaries. His co-host Jason McIntyre asked him about J.J. McCarthy having his baseball cap on backward and Cowherd didn't hold back.
"I'm on on the Lions winning it (NFC North) and the Bears going to a wild card spot. I think Green Bay and Minnesota will be well coached. But I think the division, and it's like there's two divisions of football. The AFC West Broncos, Raiders, Chiefs, Chargers. potentially three playoff teams. The fourth place team will be good. The second best division is the NFC North. Minnesota could win eight games with J.J. (McCarthy) and be a really good team. But, I mean, I'm sorry they're not pulling off last year's window. That's not happening. They have a much tougher schedule. They're not doing it. That is the easiest team in the league to pull back a win to."
Colin Cowhed doesn't believe in the Vikings, J.J. McCarthy
Let's start here. Why in the world are we criticizing McCarthy like this is Ken Griffey Jr. donning the backwards hat for the first time in the early 1990s? Everyone wears their hats that way in 2025 and doing so doesn't meany anything, especially considering that he was wearing it that way after practice.
The other element is that the Vikings won't match their win total. Sure, they might not win 14 games and they have to play the AFC North instead of the AFC South, but completely discounting the Vikings isn't a wise decision.
They ended up winning 14 games last season thanks to head coach Kevin O'Connell's excellent coaching and leadership. It was especially impressive considering the team was quarterbacked by Sam Darnold. 14 wins might not be duplicated, but there is no reason why the Vikings won't see a lot of success with a top-10 pick in the NFL Draft at quarterback, especially with O'Connell at the helm.
McCarthy is going to have three elite weapons on the outside with arguably the best offensive line and a top-5 play caller at his disposal. That's a great combination of things to have. Plus, Brian Flores is one of the best in the league at calling a defense.
Remember all of the discussion about Caleb Williams having the best supporting cast for a rookie quarterback ever? That's what McCarthy has this season, and I wouldn't want to be the one to bet against him.
