Grim Reapers

This team is so incredibly frustrating lol. Out of the playoffs since before Thanksgiving, but let's go on a winning streak now with zero to play for! The only thing it's done is save Kwesi's ass for another year and secured us from once again drafting in the top ten. We'll draft our usual 13 to 17.

Brosmer was brutal.

Defense once again showed they are one of the better units in the league. Anybody think we won't miss Harrison Smith?

Fuck it...let's beat the Packers

supafreak84 wrote:
This team is so incredibly frustrating lol. Out of the playoffs since before Thanksgiving, but let's go on a winning streak now with zero to play for! The only thing it's done is save Kwesi's ass for another year and secured us from once again drafting in the top ten. We'll draft our usual 13 to 17.

Brosmer was brutal.

Defense once again showed they are one of the better units in the league. Anybody think we won't miss Harrison Smith?

Fuck it...let's beat the Packers

Agreed, at this point lets just beat the Pack!

Good catch on Dirty Harry...Ive done a complete 180 on him and would love him back another year to help mentor a newbie.

Overall a really tough fan year and I hate how it unfolded, especially at QB. As fun as most of last year was, this year wasn't. Least for me. 

That said, they're sniffing .500 cause of BFlo/KOC and their ability to keep the locker room united and the team from coming apart. Will the owners recognize this vs the GM? I dont know, there's a time for that later. 

For now? I'm enjoying a sweep of the Kitties.

We’re out of the cellar…!  :P      Merry Christmas…! 

supafreak84 wrote:
This team is so incredibly frustrating lol. Out of the playoffs since before Thanksgiving, but let's go on a winning streak now with zero to play for! The only thing it's done is save Kwesi's ass for another year and secured us from once again drafting in the top ten. We'll draft our usual 13 to 17.

Brosmer was brutal.

Defense once again showed they are one of the better units in the league. Anybody think we won't miss Harrison Smith?

Fuck it...let's beat the Packers

Well with a first place schedule in a true rebuild year,  WTf did you expect. 

A MASH unit O line and Brosmer was supposed to impress against a premier D front?

Fuck yes we will miss the hitman,  sure would be nice to have Hamilton and not have division opponents have a decent draft picks as a result of KAMs ineptitude. 

Yes.   well.... fuck it!

The announced 66,874 fans at U.S. Bank Stadium were awash in holiday revelry by the two-minute warning of the Vikings’ 23-10 Christmas Day victory over the Lions, as video board operators focused on individual players for what amounted to curtain calls.

They roared for Justin Jefferson, whose 10-yard reception moments earlier had helped him pass Randy Moss for the most receiving yards by a NFL player in the first six seasons of his career. Then the picture changed to Harrison Smith, who had sacked Jared Goff in the first quarter and pounced on an Amon-Ra St. Brown crossing route in the third for the 39th interception of his 14-year career. 

The fans, dressed in winter white to match the Vikings’ special uniforms, lauded the safety with a grateful ovation. Smith, rarely the type to display emotion, responded by blowing kisses to the crowd.

“The fans here have never experienced a Super Bowl, and they always show up,” Smith said, holding back tears for the second consecutive home game. “For them to keep going, it just shows how much they love the team, how much they love everything that goes into it. I mean, we’re out of the playoffs, everybody shows up in white. They do their part. One of these days, they’ll get it.”

“It,” of course, is the Lombardi Trophy the Vikings have never won and haven’t played for in nearly 50 years. The 2025 season, the 65th in franchise history, will end without a playoff berth; it means if Smith retires after this year, he will never have reached a Super Bowl. The looming sunset seemed on the minds of the fans who saluted Smith and the safety who returned their gratitude.

The safety wouldn’t entertain the question of retirement after the game, calling himself a “very much in-the-moment type of guy” and saying he wanted to savor the time he has with teammates he loves.

He has decided to come back the past two years after contemplating retirement, and this year, when he missed the Vikings’ first two games with a personal medical issue, he admitted he wondered briefly if he would make it back.

The Lions game, then, was a kind of capstone. After Smith broke from his deep safety position to cut off the in-breaking pass he knew Goff liked to throw to St. Brown, he thought about firing the ball into the stands, but pulled up when he realized his 39th interception — possibly his last at U.S. Bank Stadium — was one he would like to keep.

“The pick was a good one,” Smith said with a smirk afterward, allowing himself a moment of self-congratulation.

Later, he grew reflective when asked why he has become more emotional.

“There’s definitely a maturity, and you realize your own football mortality,” he said. ”When you’re young, there’s no end in sight. The past couple years, I know it’s there. It’s not an emotion of sadness. It’s more heightened, I would say. So you just feel it a little bit more.”

“There’s something about this group, when you get in between the lines, you go all-out,” Smith said. “I don’t know why, exactly, but it makes it fun. I forget my age. I forget all that. I just enjoy the moment.”

So did the fans who turned out in white to salute him.

Not everyone gets to play 14 years with one team, he acknowledged. “I’m not naive to that. I just wanted to show my appreciation.”

STRIB

Harry can still play at a high level, I really hope he goes 1 more but I doubt it.

This team does have a great culture as Harry says. Can it translate to wins? It’s all on JJ really unless they give up on him early ( which they won’t).

Gonna be a long offseason hyping up the kid. Sure would be nice to have a storybook year in 2026.

purplefaithful wrote:
No tears shed for the Kitties

Priority to keep BFlo if he doesnt get a HC oppty

Is Van Gink our 2nd best player behind Jetta?

Speaking of Edges, Turner is really starting to flash on the field more. He still tackles too high, but  I'm excited about 2026 for him. 

Brosmer is soooo far from ready to play in the NFL. What did we have 3 or 6 yards passing today? BRUTAL

Vikings have rattled off 4 straight wins. Thats an impressive coaChing job

Speaking of --- great play call by KOC on the Addison play

Look at the teams these franchises can field by wk 16. What happens at Wk 17? Or a Wk 18? There aint enough bodies anymore, rosters are going to have to be expanded. 

In some ways, this year reminds me a bit of 2008...Just a QB away from being a force with Tarvaris at QB. 

Merry Xmas to all, I guess not to The Lions tonight.

Well I know one thing, with just league-average QB play this year, the Vikings not only make the playoffs, they're probably the team nobody wants to play.

JimmyinSD wrote:

Well with a first place schedule in a true rebuild year,  WTf did you expect. 

A MASH unit O line and Brosmer was supposed to impress against a premier D front?

Fuck yes we will miss the hitman,  sure would be nice to have Hamilton and not have division opponents have a decent draft picks as a result of KAMs ineptitude. 

Yes.   well.... fuck it!

WTF did I expect? Oh, probably like everyone else here who saw a 14 win team last year who spent 300 million on free agency additions and were starting a highly drafted quarterback and thought we'd be a playoff team. Instead we got one of the worst offenses in football that put our defense in bad situations, penalties in abundance, and a stubborn head coach who wouldn't adjust his play calling until week 14 when that was his only option left. I've seen "rebuild" years before and this wasn't one of them. 

I don't think Detroit has a premier defensive front. They literally have one dude. I actually thought our offensive line played decent considering we trotted out three backups as starters. I'm also tired of the built-in MASH unit excuse for our offensive line every year. We just need to go into every year expecting injuries along our offensive line and do our damndest to invest in that line and bring in the best ten guys possible year in and year out. Maybe prioritize those positions a little more in the draft, maybe spend some more coin to keep a guy like Cam Robinson, maybe don't just automatically hand over backup jobs to late round draft picks or UDFA's where there's such a steep drop-off in play. I'm just beyond tired of this team having issues with the offensive line each and every year.

supafreak84 wrote:

WTF did I expect? Oh, probably like everyone else here who saw a 14 win team last year who spent 300 million on free agency additions and were starting a highly drafted quarterback and thought we'd be a playoff team. Instead we got one of the worst offenses in football that put our defense in bad situations, penalties in abundance, and a stubborn head coach who wouldn't adjust his play calling until week 14 when that was his only option left. I've seen "rebuild" years before and this wasn't one of them. 

I don't think Detroit has a premier defensive front. They literally have one dude. I actually thought our offensive line played decent considering we trotted out three backups as starters. I'm also tired of the built-in MASH unit excuse for our offensive line every year. We just need to go into every year expecting injuries along our offensive line and do our damndest to invest in that line and bring in the best ten guys possible year in and year out. Maybe prioritize those positions a little more in the draft, maybe spend some more coin to keep a guy like Cam Robinson, maybe don't just automatically hand over backup jobs to late round draft picks or UDFA's where there's such a steep drop-off in play. I'm just beyond tired of this team having issues with the offensive line each and every year.

Your expectations were higher than mine..I had their floor at 9 and thats IF JJM could play much - and he didnt. 

I agree it seems like the Vikings are as snake bit as anyone along that OL. But I look at what many teams can trot out to the field by December and its not good. Look at KC this year, look at how the loss of Decker impacted the Lions yesterday. 

This also gets back to 17 game seasons and the toll it takes on a locker room. What will happen with 18 games? 

PLUS, KAMS drafting has been a problem and its impacted depth on this team no doubt.

Vikings have plenty of reasons to look into the mirror and they'll find problems, but injuries imo derailed the season the most (especially at QB and OL).

Max Brosmer is dreadful and if you reading this or someone you know bought into that hype, may God have mercy on your soul. Zulgad or whoever was hyping him as the next Purdy should issue a retraction and perhaps even retire. He's that bad.

Would be awesome if McCarthy can play this week but it seems unlikely.

Our defense is as good as our offense is bad. Big time Iowa football team vibes for the Vikings right now. I'm no Iowa fan but they do win some games.

Defense and Special teams were A+ yesterday. Awesome. RIP everyone who started Lions in their fantasy football championships haha. Vikings stood on business. Skol!

purplefaithful wrote:

Your expectations were higher than mine..I had their floor at 9 and thats IF JJM could play much - and he didnt. 

I agree it seems like the Vikings are as snake bit as anyone along that OL. But I look at what many teams can trot out to the field by December and its not good. Look at KC this year, look at how the loss of Decker impacted the Lions yesterday. 

This also gets back to 17 game seasons and the toll it takes on a locker room. What will happen with 18 games? 

PLUS, KAMS drafting has been a problem and its impacted depth on this team no doubt.

Vikings have plenty of reasons to look into the mirror and they'll find problems, but injuries imo derailed the season the most (especially at QB and OL).

I think we all agree, and we see it leaguewide, and that's the offensive line impacts your season more than any other unit on the field. Every year it's, "oh we would have been good if the line stayed healthy" or "how can we evaluate such and such with all the injuries to the line?" The Vikings have to change the way they view the line in its entirety. Invest in it every year, make it a priority every year, and bring in the best ten guys you possibly can get because inevitably we are going to have injuries that will otherwise derail the season. I also agree that we should probably make a change at line coach, and I'm telling you right now that taking a tackle with our first round pick this year might be a smart investment considering Darrisaw's long term prognosis and O'Neill's age.

supafreak84 wrote:

I think we all agree, and we see it leaguewide, and that's the offensive line impacts your season more than any other unit on the field. Every year it's, "oh we would have been good if the line stayed healthy" or "how can we evaluate such and such with all the injuries to the line?" The Vikings have to change the way they view the line in its entirety. Invest in it every year, make it a priority every year, and bring in the best ten guys you possibly can get because inevitably we are going to have injuries that will otherwise derail the season. I also agree that we should probably make a change at line coach, and I'm telling you right now that taking a tackle with our first round pick this year might be a smart investment considering Darrisaw's long term prognosis and O'Neill's age.

Darrisaw hasn't come back yet and O'Neil just finished his what? 8th year?

I'd rather go D with that #1, but its an interesting thought - not sure if thats a position of strength/depth in the draft this year.

purplefaithful wrote:

Darrisaw hasn't come back yet and O'Neil just finished his what? 8th year?

I'd rather go D with that #1, but its an interesting thought - not sure if thats a position of strength/depth in the draft this year.

The whole Darrisaw situation and how it played out is weird to me. Makes me think he might be damaged goods or at the very least, won't be the same player he's been. If that's the case (and nobody knows), then yes, getting the offense once again as squared away as possible to once again evaluate McCarthy should take priority.

The highest-graded defensive players on Christmas Day 🔒 pic.twitter.com/kY5M4jVBuF

— PFF (@PFF) December 26, 2025

Turner is turning the corner!!

purplefaithful wrote:

Darrisaw hasn't come back yet and O'Neil just finished his what? 8th year?

I'd rather go D with that #1, but its an interesting thought - not sure if thats a position of strength/depth in the draft this year.

Vikings are going to have to restructure O'Neill. His cap hit in 2026 is unmanageable. Looks like the Vikings have written a lot of flexibility in some of their bigger contracts though. 

Taking a tackle in the 1st would be a pretty massive shock. Hard to see it happening unless there is something going on with Darrisaw we don't know about. I'm sure his knee just needs some downtime to fully heal, and it should get that over the offseason.

1. Take a bow anyhow, Kevin O’Connell

Three net passing yards — an all-time record low in 566 Vikings wins, including playoffs – had coach, play-caller and QB whisperer Kevin O’Connell saying he wouldn’t be putting Christmas Day’s 23-10 win over the Lions “on my shelf.” But take a bow anyhow, K.O.
Small picture, the jet sweep to Jordan Addison — his only touch on a day when he was targeted only once — with 3:52 left was perfect timing and clearly something O’Connell had been setting up, hoping to use if he got to the fourth quarter with a lead and the Lions playing single-high man coverage with a defender chasing Addison across the formation.

Seven of O’Connell’s eight run calls right before Addison’s 65-yard sprint to a 20-10 lead were between the tackles. Before Addison’s touchdown, the Vikings had 66 yards rushing on 24 called runs (2.8 yards per carry). The QB guru brought life to the running game at a point when the Vikings led by three points despite a 5-0 turnover advantage.

Big picture, O’Connell has won four straight, three of them after being eliminated from playoff contention, 1½ with undrafted rookie quarterback Max Brosmer not turning the ball over, and Christmas Day with five offensive starters out. There’s always something to evaluate, even when the playoff race is over and the anointed one (J.J. McCarthy) can’t stay healthy.

During a month that could have been historically humiliating, O’Connell has shown he’s still the right guy to lead the players.

STRIB

2. B-Flo is the man, but will he stay?

Defensive coordinator Brian Flores called a gem. Six takeaways against a team that had led the league in fewest giveaways with eight in 15 games. Blitzed Jared Goff on 55.9% of his passes, forcing Goff to throw his first two picks versus the blitz this season. Held the Lions to 68 rushing yards on 30 carries. Did it all without Jonathan Greenard and Josh Metellus. Kudos across the board. Now what? What happens after the season finale against the Packers, when Flores’ contract is up?

It seems unlikely that he’ll be offered a head coaching job. Owners like to make splash hires. Cherry-picking a non-playoff team doesn’t qualify. Owners also keep trending toward offensive-minded head coaches capable of attaching themselves to the QB’s hip. Flores’ lawsuit against the league is another factor, no matter what anyone says. And though Flores just called a game for the ages on Christmas Day, his hands aren’t clean. His run defense was often woefully flat, especially at home against Atlanta in Week 2 (218 yards) and at the Chargers in Week 8 (207). Eleven of 21 takeaways came in two games. There were none in seven games, which contributed to five losses.

Flores also might want to make a lateral move. Find a suitor who doesn’t have a fragile quarterback or an offense that’s turned the ball over a league-worst 29 times this year and turned it over 34 times — second-worst — while also missing the playoffs two years ago. If Flores does walk, defensive backs coach/passing game coordinator Daronte Jones would seem to be a candidate for promotion. He’s now schooled in Flores’ system and has called games in the preseason.

3. Reichard (too) quietly saves the day

Eric Kendricks didn’t make the 2019 Pro Bowl team initially but was voted first-team All-Pro by the Associated Press.

This voter senses the same thing will happen to Vikings kicker Will Reichard. O’Connell can thank Reichard for having a big hand, er, foot in keeping him from losing a home game with a plus-6 turnover margin. The Vikings scored only 16 points off turnovers, including their first 13, good for only a 13-10 lead. Reichard was 3 for 3 on field goals, connecting from 52, 56 and 42 yards. The Vikings offense set him up after takeaways by “driving” 23, 4 and 21 yards.

Reichard is the only kicker in the league making at least 93.8% of his kicks (fourth-best) with only two misses (30 of 32) and no missed PATs. He is tied for a league-high 11 makes from 50-plus. Is he human? Who knows. Should he be a Pro Bowler? Absolutely. Will he be first-team All-Pro? It’s trending that way on at least one voter’s scorecard.

4. Who ya got in your 2026 NFL mock draft?

If you enjoy watching teams draft players more than you like watching football, now would be a good time to turn away. Although anyone who just turned away already knows just how badly O’Connell and his Vikings have screwed up their 2026 draft order. Once 4-8 and angling for a top-10 pick, the Vikings now sit 8-8 and hold the 17th overall pick. Had they just followed some fans’ orders and tanked, the Vikings would be holding the seventh pick instead of the Commanders team the Vikings beat 31-0 to start their win streak. Tanking most of the fall and winter for a three-day crapshoot in the spring doesn’t sound like a great way to root. Especially when the best franchises like Kansas City and Baltimore routinely pluck high-quality starters to stars near the bottom of the first round.

Without further ado, who ya got going to the Vikings in your 2026 mock draft? Well, after several seconds of googling, er, research, it seems there isn’t a center worthy of the 17th overall pick. Many folks seem to believe it should be a cornerback or a safety (thanks for nothing, Lewis Cine). 

I’m going with Jeremiyah Love, the explosive, versatile running back from Notre Dame. That’s my pick, and I’m probably not going to stick to it. But a first-round RB1 talent to take this running game to another level would help the offensive line, the play-caller, the defense and, of course, McCarthy.

Strib

5. Who ya got in free agency/trades?

The Vikings spent over $300 million in free agency and got a .500 record so far and no playoff berth. 

They targeted offensive and defensive linemen with a lot of miles on them. It didn’t work out the way they had envisioned, and even ownership that’s never been known to spare expenses has to be wondering where its money went and why. What should the Vikings do this year in free agency?

Overthecap.com currently lists the Vikings 11th in cap space at about $15.6 million. Those numbers will fluctuate league-wide, of course, as teams start disassembling to reassemble again in 2026. Many of the top pending free agents will be re-signed or tagged.

Should the Vikings go after a corner like Tampa Bay’s Jamel Dean? A safety like Pittsburgh’s Kyle Dugger? How ‘bout a quarterback like that Aaron Rodgers fella? Or maybe kick the tires on bringing back Daniel Jones to actually compete with McCarthy? 

Or, better yet, call the 49ers and ask what it would take to get Mac Jones, a quarterback who can stay healthy and performed very well this year in a similar system. Jones signed the worst two-year deal maybe ever. He proved himself this year but won’t benefit from it on the open market. The 49ers are going to lose him in 2027 anyway. Maybe they’d trade him now.

Keep McCarthy. Keep developing him. But, unlike this year, make someone win the job next year, and have the loser serve as the backup, not an aging veteran off the street or an undrafted rookie.

MaroonBells wrote:

Vikings are going to have to restructure O'Neill. His cap hit in 2026 is unmanageable. Looks like the Vikings have written a lot of flexibility in some of their bigger contracts though. 

Taking a tackle in the 1st would be a pretty massive shock. Hard to see it happening unless there is something going on with Darrisaw we don't know about. I'm sure his knee just needs some downtime to fully heal, and it should get that over the offseason.

I think Fries was in that same boat this year...

purplefaithful wrote:
4. Who ya got in your 2026 NFL mock draft?

If you enjoy watching teams draft players more than you like watching football, now would be a good time to turn away. Although anyone who just turned away already knows just how badly O’Connell and his Vikings have screwed up their 2026 draft order. Once 4-8 and angling for a top-10 pick, the Vikings now sit 8-8 and hold the 17th overall pick. Had they just followed some fans’ orders and tanked, the Vikings would be holding the seventh pick instead of the Commanders team the Vikings beat 31-0 to start their win streak. Tanking most of the fall and winter for a three-day crapshoot in the spring doesn’t sound like a great way to root. Especially when the best franchises like Kansas City and Baltimore routinely pluck high-quality starters to stars near the bottom of the first round.

Without further ado, who ya got going to the Vikings in your 2026 mock draft? Well, after several seconds of googling, er, research, it seems there isn’t a center worthy of the 17th overall pick. Many folks seem to believe it should be a cornerback or a safety (thanks for nothing, Lewis Cine). 

I’m going with Jeremiyah Love, the explosive, versatile running back from Notre Dame. That’s my pick, and I’m probably not going to stick to it. But a first-round RB1 talent to take this running game to another level would help the offensive line, the play-caller, the defense and, of course, McCarthy.

Strib

I'm not sure who wrote this article, but they blast the idea of tanking in one sentence, then say they'd like to draft Jeremiah Love in another...who won't be there or even close to the 17th pick lol! That's the difference between drafting 7th or 17th. Now we are probably stuck grabbing the second or third corner off the board in the vicinity we will be drafting. But hey, I love a good winning streak to end the year when it means nothing outside of saving the jobs of those who should not be retained

supafreak84 wrote:

I'm not sure who wrote this article, but they blast the idea of tanking in one sentence, then say they'd like to draft Jeremiah Love in another...who won't be there or even close to the 17th pick lol! That's the difference between drafting 7th or 17th. Now we are probably stuck grabbing the second or third corner off the board in the vicinity we will be drafting. But hey, I love a good winning streak to end the year when it means nothing outside of saving the jobs of those who should not be retained

Agreed, Love is a pipe dream for a .500 team.  

Smart $$ is on Corner, S or LB imo.

purplefaithful wrote:

Agreed, Love is a pipe dream for a .500 team.  

Smart $$ is on Corner, S or LB imo.

GBN just updated their Big Board, so you can kind of see the pool we'll likely be picking from. I'd certainly like to be sitting 7th instead of 17th..

https://gbnreport.com/2026-big-board/