The Minnesota Vikings are trying to steer back toward the version of themselves that showed up in 2024, when they went 14-3 and reached the playoffs for only the second time in the 2020s.
Last season didn’t follow that script. Minnesota finished 9-8 and missed the postseason, with much of the disappointment tied to J.J.
McCarthy’s uneven year. The young quarterback battled injuries and didn’t deliver the kind of production the Vikings were hoping for.
Now the quarterback room has a veteran added to the mix, and Minnesota is hoping that change helps put the franchise back on track. The question is how high this team can climb in 2026 - and how far it could fall.
The ceiling looks like 12-5. Minnesota’s roster isn’t being framed as elite, so a run at the top of the NFC doesn’t appear to be the most likely outcome.
Still, double-digit wins are on the table if former Cardinals starter Kyler Murray meets expectations or if McCarthy makes the kind of leap the Vikings originally envisioned while staying healthy. Under Kevin O’Connell, Minnesota has already put together two double-digit-win seasons and reached the playoffs twice, so that level is clearly within reach again.
The floor sits at 8-9. Even with McCarthy’s problems and the team’s overall issues last year, the Vikings still managed to finish above .500.
O’Connell’s worst record in four seasons has been 7-10, but that feels unlikely given the current quarterback setup. Eight wins looks like the low end of the range.
In Other News...
Vikings Fans Already Have A Caleb Banks Fear They Know Too Well
Caleb Banks arrived in Minnesota with the kind of promise that can make a first-round defensive lineman feel like an immediate answer, and the Vikings are still treating him that way. Kevin OConnell said the rookie should be ready for training camp, though the plan may be to bring him along gradually at first, and that fits the way Minnesota has talked about him since draft night as a player who could step into a major role right away if everything lines up.
Still, there is already a familiar edge of unease around the pick, because Banks has not yet gotten onto the practice field and the Vikings know how quickly a premium defensive line investment can turn into a waiting game. If he is healthy, he has the talent to push for a starting job from day one, but the early months of camp will tell a lot about whether Minnesota is getting the disruptive interior presence it expected or another reminder that upside comes with risk. [Read more 🡒]
Dallas Turner Suddenly Carries Huge Pressure For The Vikings Defense
Dallas Turners second season gave the Vikings a much clearer idea of what they have in the young edge rusher. After a modest rookie year, he was on the field far more often in 2025 and turned that opportunity into real production, finishing with 66 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, eight sacks and four forced fumbles. For a defense built on speed and disruption, that kind of leap matters, especially when the coaching staff is always hunting for players who can stress a quarterback and create turnovers.
Brian Flores has never hidden what he wants from this unit, and Turner fits the mold better now than he did a year ago. The bigger question is whether the Vikings are ready to ask even more of him in 2026, with the edge-rush picture changing around him and the pressure to turn last seasons breakout into something more permanent. [Read more 🡒]