The Minnesota Vikings and quarterback J.J. McCarthy are facing an unprecedented season, with the scope of their challenges continuing to reveal itself.
After becoming the first first-round quarterback to miss their entire rookie season, McCarthy is poised to take the starting job as the Vikings embark on a historic season.
The Vikings' schedule, released in May, features back-to-back international games in two different countries, which no team has ever done in NFL history. In Week 4, the Vikings face the Pittsburgh Steelers in Dublin, Ireland, followed by a Week 5 matchup in London, England, against the Cleveland Browns.
That's a lot of early mileage for a first-year starting quarterback who has yet to endure the rigors of a full NFL season.
Sportsbook Review put every NFL team's 2025 schedule in context in an analysis using the "NFL Fatigue Index," measuring the toll of a season on several factors, and found the Vikings to have one of the most daunting seasons ahead -- but it could have been much worse.
According to SportsBook Review, the Vikings' schedule ranked ninth in overall fatigue, which includes four games with a rest disadvantage -- the fourth-highest in the league.
The good news: the Vikings' decision to stay across the pond between Week 4 and Week 5 prevented the schedule from ranking top five in fatigue.
"We've never seen an NFL schedule quite like the Vikings', particularly because of that historic two-week trip overseas. If they weren't staying in Dublin to offset some of that travel fatigue, they'd feature one of the five toughest loads of any team this season," Sportsbook Review's C Jackson Cowert told Athlon Sports exclusively.
"Minnesota has the double-whammy of ranking in the top 10 in fatigue and in opponent strength, which could make for an unwelcome start to J.J. McCarthy's career," he added. "While the Europe trip is a doozy, the Vikings play four games with a rest disadvantage - fourth-most in the league - and they're one of just four teams to play an entire month without a home game at any point."
The gauntlet is set for McCarthy and the Vikings, an organization that has ranked high in the 2025 NFLPA report card, notably in travel amenities (2nd) and training staff (3rd) that can help mitigate fatigue.
"The NFL schedule is relentless – physically punishing and mentally draining," Dr. Jason Hamilton, an Olympic sports psychologist, told Sportsbook Review. "Constant travel, unpredictable sleep cycles, and the pressure to perform week after week create the perfect storm for chronic stress, anxiety, and burnout.
“A fatigued brain is more prone to mental fumbles,” he added.
