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What We Learned in the Final Vikings Game of 2025
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- What We Learned in the Final Vikings Game of 2025
Jeffrey Becker
The Minnesota Vikings ended their season on Sunday with a winning record in a year that didn't feel like it deserved such a finish. The Green Bay Packers rested almost all starters, while Minnesota did not. Kevin O'Connell and Co. ultimately won by a score of 16-3.
Green Bay treated it like a scrimmage; Minnesota didn't. Accordingly, the Vikings scored a near-shutout and finished the season with a winning record.
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Monday will bring the beginning of a long offseason, but let's glance at what the purple team taught the world in Week 18.
The Biggest Takeaways From Minnesota's Week 18 Finale
It was probably the most meaningless game in the history of the Vikings-Packers rivalry.
Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy carries out a handoff during the first quarter on Jan. 4, 2026, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, against the Green Bay Packers. The sequence highlighted Minnesota's early offensive structure as McCarthy operated within the run game, emphasizing timing and control in a high-stakes divisional matchup. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images.
1. J.J. McCarthy showed the whole McCarthy experience on Sunday: he delivered a couple of wonderful throws, logged some frustrating misses — and got hurt.
He reinjured the hairline on his hand and left the game early in the 3rd Quarter. The final transaction affirmed what most Vikings fans knew before Week 18: the team must find an alternative quarterback in the offseason to compete with McCarthy this summer — at the very least. His injury resume is too large and present for the Vikings to trust him with the enterprise in 2026.
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2.While it is unclear if the San Francisco 49ers would trade Mac Jones — Brock Purdy has injury concerns, too — he is the perfect fit for what Minnesota will need in 2026.
He doesn't have the clout to demand a starting job, but he could possibly lead a franchise on his own as a QB1. Jones might be worth a 3rd- or 4th-Round pick via trade if 49ers general manager John Lynch will listen. Trading for a quarterback like Kyler Murray would result in Murray expecting to start, cancelling the McCarthy experiment, perhaps altogether.
3. Max Brosmer should be a QB3 — at best — henceforth. He continues to make unforgivable errors. And these are errors that even young quarterbacks should not make. He caused a sack by himself after tripping into a Vikings lineman, thought it was a college game with a knee down and no defensive contact, and got walloped, forcing a fumble that the Packers recovered. Inexcusable. Brosmer should be the Vikings QB3 in 2026, if anything. Maybe QB4.
4. Dallas Turner rose to power in the second half of the season. His speed is just relentless. If Minnesota has to use Jonathan Greenard as trade bait in a deal for Joe Burrow or Lamar Jackson , for example, the team could take solace in knowing that Turner is ready to start all of the time.
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5. C.J. Ham scoring in his potentially final game was fantastic. He deserved it.
6.Speaking of final games, the Vikings' defensive players and former teammates sure treated Sunday as Harrison Smith 's final game. It almost felt like he cannot come back now after the fanfare and ceremony nudging him toward retirement. His teammates, current and former, probably had inside intel that this was it. What a career. Hopefully, Hall of Fame voters let him in five years from now.
7.The Vikings made sure to accommodate Justin Jefferson 's 1,000-yard streak, allowing the phenom playmaker to join Randy Moss and Mike Evans as the only wideouts to reach 1,000 yards in each of their first six seasons. Jefferson seemed to care about the mark, so McCarthy targeting him early really worked out.
Minnesota Vikings guard Will Fries, tackle Brian O'Neill, and fullback C.J. Ham celebrate a touchdown during the second quarter on Jan. 4, 2026, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, against the Green Bay Packers. The moment underscored offensive cohesion up front, with linemen and lead blockers sharing credit after a successful scoring drive. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images.
8.Brian Flores ended 2025 on an extreme high note, albeit against the Packers' horrendous second-string offense. He'll get head coaching attention as early as this week, and he will deserve it. Maybe Flores will lean into the Tom Brady connection and coach the Raiders next year.
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9. Jordan Mason is the perfect RB2. He's not an RB1 all of the time, but he's a damn fine RB2. Minnesota should keep Mason, cut Aaron Jones if necessary, and draft a young running back. It hasn't drafted one early since Dalvin Cook in 2017. It's time. Do it again.
10.The Vikings will begin the offseason between $30-$40 million underwater via the salary cap . This offseason won't be like last offseason. The spending spree won't be robust. In fact, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will have to cut veterans and restructure contracts just to sign anybody . A familiar request for Adofo-Mensah, he'll be asked to thread the needle.
Minnesota Vikings linebacker Dallas Turner closes in on Green Bay Packers quarterback Clayton Tune during the first quarter on Jan. 4, 2026, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The pressure sequence reflected Turner's burst off the edge, forcing quick decisions as Minnesota's defense set an early tone against Green Bay's passing game. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images.
11.Keep an eye on any coaching staff and front office changes. Adofo-Mensah probably won't be fired — he was just extended six months ago — but the ownership may force him to revamp his scouting staff. The same could occur for O'Connell's coaching staff. The Vikings must nail the next few drafts to make up for their sins in 2022 and 2023, besides Jordan Addison .
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12.It was deflating to watch a winning Vikings season with absolutely no playoff stakes or excitement in the last 3-4 weeks. Usually, a 9-7 or 9-8 season involves excitement in December. This go-round had nothing. Absolutely nothing. Instead, fans spent each wondering if the quarterback was healthy enough to play. It doesn't have to be that way.
