We will make the playoffs

Then crap the bed

Yeesh..... these guys can't decide whether to slam the team or prop them up. So they do both. In a very bi-polar article. 🤔

https://sports.yahoo.com/article/nfl-offseason-power-rankings-no-19-minnesota-vikings-get-kyler-murray-to-bury-jj-mccarthy-era-144722588.html

StickierBuns wrote:

Yeesh..... these guys can't decide whether to slam the team or prop them up. So they do both. In a very bi-polar article. 🤔
https://sports.yahoo.com/article/nfl-offseason-power-rankings-no-19-minnesota-vikings-get-kyler-murray-to-bury-jj-mccarthy-era-144722588.html

Man, the national press sure has a brutal take on JJM...

purplefaithful wrote:

Man, the national press sure has a brutal take on JJM...

He unfortunately had some brutal quarters of football on some nationally televised games. Left an impression. 😑

What is the ceiling (and floor) for the Minnesota Vikings in 2026?

Story by Joe Smith, Touchdown Wire

• 14h •

2 min read

Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) stiff-arms Green Bay Packers linebacker Ty'Ron Hopper (59) after a seven yard run during the first quarter of their game Sunday, January 4, 2026 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota.© Mark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Mark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Minnesota Vikings would like to get back to the way things were in 2024.

That's the year, of course, that the Vikings posted a 14-3 record and advanced to the playoffs for just the second time in the 2020's. But last year, things didn't go quite as planned for the franchise, as they went just 9-8 and fell short of the postseason. Some of that was due to struggles by young quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who dealt with injuries during the season and underperformed.

Now, they add some veteran competition in the quarterback room and look to get back on track. But what is the ceiling (and floor) for Minnesota in 2026?

Ceiling: 12-5

The talent in Minnesota isn't at an elite level, so don't expect them to contend among the top teams in the NFC. But double-digit wins are a possibility, especially if former Cardinals starter Kyler Murray lives up to expectations or McCarthy develops as originally expected and stays injury-free. This team has two double-digit win seasons and postseason appearances under Kevin O'Connell, and they can get back there again.

Floor: 8-9

With McCarthy's issues and the franchise's overall struggles last year, they still posted a winning record. The worst record they've posted in four seasons under O'Connell is 7-10, and it's hard to envision that happening this year with the current quarterback situation. Expect eight wins to be the worst things can get.

12-5 is where I have them this year.

hogjowlsjohnny wrote:

12-5 is where I have them this year.

I'm going to say 11 wins. My expectation is they start a bit slow out of the gate but catch fire a bit the back half of the year. Hopefully be high functioning as a team come playoff time and make some noise.

Its a playoff win or plus, otherwise its a bust...