Fatal flaw Vikings must fix in 2025 NFL offseason

Yesterday at 07:41 PM

The Minnesota Vikings had a dream season for 17 weeks of the NFL season. They had winning streaks of 5 and 9 games, and they went into the final game of the regular season with a chance to earn the No. 1 seed in the NFL playoffs as well as the NFC North title.

That final game of the regular season against the Detroit Lions did not go well. The Vikings high-powered offense got shut down by the battered and bruised Lions defense. Detroit came into the game with multiple injuries among their key defensive starters, but quarterback Sam Darnold was unable to find the end zone despite having brilliant receivers Justin Jefferson and Sam Darnold.

The loss was depressing and it shunted the Vikings to the No. 5 spot in the NFC playoff structure. Instead of getting the Wild Card weekend off, the Vikings were forced to play the No. 4 seed Los Angeles Rams away from home.

That game was originally scheduled for SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, but the wild fires in Los Angeles forced the game to State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The home of the Arizona Cardinals welcomed both teams. While Vikings fans bought a high percentage of tickets that were made available, the Rams took charge of the game from the start.

Head coach Kevin O’Connell was used to seeing his team grab hold of the game from the start and dictate the pace throughout. That regular-season formula went out the window as the Rams scored on their first possession and punished the Vikings for four quarter. The Vikings fell by a 27-9 margin and suddenly their season was over.

Quarterback issues must be addressed by Vikings

It was a brutal end to the season after the team had overachieved all year. There are several flaws tha the team must repair in the offseason.

The Vikings selected J.J. McCarthy with the No. 10 pick in the opening round of the 2024 NFL Draft. At the time of his selection, it was expected that McCarthy would assume the QB1 position at some point during the regular season from Sam Darnold, who had been signed as a free agent after the Vikings parted company with Kirk Cousins.

Those plans came apart at the seams after Minnesota’s first preseason. The former Michigan Wolverine tore his meniscus in a game against the Las Vegas Raiders and was deemed out for the season.

Darnold went from replacement quarterback to the team’s full-time starter, and he played remarkably well for O’Connell. Despite a very difficult opening schedule, the Vikings got off to a 5-0 start. After dropping a pair of competitive and close games to the Lions and Rams, the Vikings got back on the winning track.

They won 9 games in a row and went into the season finale with a 14-2 record, far better than the expectations for the team. Darnold had been quite ordinary during the first six years of his career with the New York Jets, Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers. However, he turned things around with the Vikings. He completed 361 of 545 passes for 4,319 yard with with 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He also ran for 212 yards on 67 attempts.

Darnold played well enough to get some mentions as a player who deserved some MVP votes and he earned a spot in the Pro Bowl.

The Darnold issue must be addressed quickly

However, in the regular-season finale against the the Lions and the playoff loss to the Rams, Darnold was a major disappointment.

He missed open receivers in the end zone against Detroit, and he failed to get rid of the ball against the Rams. He was sacked 9 times in that game.

Many observers believe the Vikings will part company with Darnold in the offseason rather than give him a sizable contract. However, prior to the Lions game, many observers were calling for the Vikings to ink Darnold to a long-term deal.

Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell must decide how they want to proceed in 2025. Do they retain Darnold and give him a multiple-year contract that pays him $20-30 million per season, or do they let him go through free agency to the highest bidder,

If they truly believe that McCarthy is the quarterback of the future and that he is ready for NFL competition, they may let Darnold leave U.S. Bank Stadium. Based on his last two games, it’s an easy decision. However, Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell know that it’s not that simple.

Offensive line must be addressed

There is little doubt that Darnold struggled badly in the two most important games of the year. But as disappointing as his play was, Darnold was hurt badly by his team’s offensive line play.

The quarterback was under pressure throughout both games. The offensive line let Darnold, Jefferson, Addison, running back Aaron Jones and tight end T.J. Hockenson down badly.

While major improvements are needed, the Vikings are loaded at offensive tackle when healthy. OLT Christian Darrisaw is one of the best in the league and ORT Brian O’Neill is also among the elite at his position. Unfortunately Darrisaw went down in the first game against the Rams with a knee injury, and the Vikings missed him badly. He should be back in 2025.

However, the interior line is a problem. C Garrett Bradbury has been an up and down player throughout his career, and it is clear he struggles against the league’s better interior pass rushers. OLG Blake Brandel and ORG Dalton Risner were not able to hold up in the team’s key games.

The biggest issue is the offensive line and the Vikings must correct this fatal flaw in the offseason.

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