Daily Norseman
The 2025 Minnesota Vikings’ season is officially over. Nine wins, eight losses, and a whole bunch of “what-ifs.” There was some good and some bad, but overall, given last year’s performance and expectations, without a playoff berth, it’s impossible to call this campaign “successful.” Let’s say it was… passably enjoyable?
As we’re gearing up for the NFL honors and the traditional movie, television, and music awards season over the next few months, let me take a moment to present some of my personal awards for the Vikings’ season.
And the award goes to…
Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award: Will Reichard (PK)
Unless it’s 1982, your coach is Joe Gibbs, and your kicker is named Mark Moseley, this isn’t ideal. The Baby-Faced Assassin (h/t to “oofda”) with stellar hair was the epitome of consistency in a season defined by inconsistency everywhere you looked. A 94.3% success rate on field goals (33 for 35), with one of those misses more controversial than the recent Stranger Things series finale. Perfect on extra points for the season. Top 10 in points scored at the position, despite the Vikings ranking 28th in total yards. Nailing a franchise-record 62-yarder. The NFC Special Teams Player of the Month for December.
Not since the 2009 NFC Championship Game have the Vikings been robbed so blatantly. Our hero was denied Pro Bowl honors. At least he did make the Next Gen Stats 2025 All-Pro Team. Still, what a joke.
(UPDATE: After this was uploaded, it was announced that Will Reichard was indeed named an NFL First-Team All-Pro. Well-deserved.)
The good news? Historically, the terms kicker and heartbreak have gone together like peanut butter and jelly or Rick Spielman and 7th-rounders. We now have confidence that we may finally have found our Adam Vinatieri, or, at minimum, that we won’t have to enter high-pressure situations with that all-too-familiar feeling of perpetual dread.
Most Improved Player Award: Dallas Turner (OLB)
You can never have enough pass rushers, and the Vikings appear to have hit on a potential perennial Pro Bowl talent in Dallas Turner. None of this was guaranteed when the season began. The pressure was on, especially given the draft capital used to trade up to select him in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Fortunately, Brian Flores’s praise of Turner’s development in OTAs, minicamps, and training camp proved prescient. His snap count rose from 28% to 66% because Andrew Van Ginkel missed significant time early in the season, creating more opportunities later on. He finished the season with Pro Football Focus (PFF) grades of 83.6 and 72.2 against the Lions and Packers, respectively. Overall, Turner tallied eight sacks, 15 additional QB hits, four forced fumbles, 11 tackles for loss, and 66 combined tackles. He won’t even turn 23 until next month.
If trends hold, KAM has put together some solid first-round hits since 2022. While J.J. McCarthy remains a work in progress, Jordan Addison has been great, Dallas Turner has had his breakout season, and Donovan Jackson put together a solid...
