2024 Vikings Season Review

Well, I guess the hurt has kind of worn off - which means I guess I should write this review before its too late.

This year the Minnesota Vikings shocked people in a lot of ways. So much so that many believed the Vikings would be able to make some noise in the postseason. That did not happen.
Lets first go over how I thought this team was going to do this season and work from there.

I expected the Vikings to finish somewhere between 7 and 9 wins. At the time I really didn't set hardly any expectations for them and didn't even think they would be hunting for the playoffs this season. I could not have been more wrong. Minnesota started the season with 5 wins in a row which really surprised me. They beat a decent San Francisco team, and two future playoff teams in Houston and Green Bay. While they looked a little shaky after the London win over the Jets, I felt suddenly good about the Vikings for the rest of the season. Out of the bye they would drop two in a row, to Detroit and the Rams. After that though, the Vikings wouldn't lose again until the final week of the season yet again against the Lions.
I had previously believed that Minnesota could quite possibly finish last in the NFC North with the Bears believed to make a step forward this season, which didn't happen at all. In fact, the Bears would fire their head coach mid-season for the first time in their franchise's history. The Vikings just were so good on both sides of the ball, the defense was thriving despite some serious injuries before the season began, and the offense was efficient with Sam Darnold under center. Vikings HC Kevin O'Connell cemented himself this season as THE QB friendly coach as he has now turned around several QB's careers. Darnold just didn't seem to make the same mistakes he used to in New York and instead was trusting his teammates and making plays all over the field. It seemed for the first time in his career, we were seeing why this guy was drafted first overall not so long ago. Unfortunately, in the playoffs - the Vikings honeymoon period would suddenly end with a thud. That offense that had been firing on all cylinders for 14 games, just went quiet in a Wild Card game that was played at a neutral site. 

Where to go from here?
Even though the Vikings 2024 season ended rather unceremoniously, I think there is plenty of hope for the 2025 season and beyond (hear me out). While Sam Darnold didn't exactly pan out in the postseason, he is not and was never going to be Minnesota's QB of the future. He was always going to be a bridge QB with 2024 1st Round pick JJ McCarthy waiting in the wings. Unfortunately for McCarthy, he had to sit out of any kind of prep this season while letting his meniscus heal, but he was able to watch how Darnold picked apart defenses - I am sure he learned plenty of new info. I don't think its a long shot to expect McCarthy to see the field next season, whether its for a full season or half the season. Minnesota has proved now for multiple seasons, that it has the right offense built with many weapons for a QB to pick from. Between two top 5 receivers, a concrete tight end room, and a healthy running back - McCarthy will have no shortage of options next season. This is before Kwesi addresses any needs in the draft or free agency, which could yield even better results. Minnesota will need to look to replace a couple offensive linemen to shore up that group, that gave a record tying 9 sacks in the wild card game, as well as potentially adding a running back with Aaron Jones not getting any younger. This is all without mentioning the stellar defense Minnesota has put on the field the last two seasons. While the Vikings and DC Brian Flores didn't exactly have the best start to the year, losing multiple starters, they found something special this year - as they rounded out the season in the top 10 in multiple defensive categories. I expect that side of the ball to get healthier and be bolstered by the draft and free agency as well. And somehow, Brian Flores remains with the Vikings at the time I am writing this. He will definitely be a head coach some time soon, but for now I am happy with him remaining with this organization and continuing to terrorize offenses for another season.
I definitely won't be a bullish on this team next season, and I am looking forward to seeing what it brings!

Thank you all for keeping up with me this season. Until next time folks!

#SKOL