Pride of Detroit
Crazy how much a year can change things, huh? Last season, the Detroit Lions and the Minnesota Vikings were the top two teams in the NFC, fighting not just for the division but for the top seed in the conference. This year? Both are at the bottom of the division; one team is eliminated from the playoffs, and the other is hanging on for dear life.
The Vikings’ playoff hopes are gone, so they’re playing as a spoiler with revenge on the mind after how last season ended. While they beat the Lions earlier in the season, eliminating them from the playoffs would be a morale boost for the team heading into 2026. The Lions are in another must-win game, but now need even more help elsewhere to keep their playoff dreams alive.
Let’s take a deeper look at the Vikings in my Week 17 scouting report.
Week 1: Defeated the Chicago Bears 27-24
Week 2: Lost to the Atlanta Falcons 22-6
Week 3: Defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 48-10
Week 4: Lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers 24-21
Week 5: Defeated the Cleveland Browns 21-17
Week 6: BYE
Week 7: Lost to the Philadelphia Eagles 28-22
Week 8: Lost to the Los Angeles Chargers 37-10
Week 9: Defeated the Detroit Lions 27-24
Week 10: Lost to the Baltimore Ravens 27-19
Week 11: Lost to the Chicago Bears 19-17
Week 12: Lost to the Green Bay Packers 23-6
Week 13: Lost to the Seattle Seahawks 26-0
Week 14: Defeated the Washington Commanders 31-0
Week 15: Defeated the Dallas Cowboys 34-26
Week 16: Defeated the New York Giants 16-13
Stats:
This season hasn’t been what many Vikings fans expected. While it would be hard to repeat a 14-win season, as Lions fans have seen how hard it is to repeat a 15-win season, they’ve done worse than expected. McCarthy has battled injuries multiple times throughout the season, and so has his offensive line protecting him. The offense has taken a step back from the year prior, despite having the majority of the same roster.
McCarthy has had a roller coaster of a season, with some good and bad moments, along with injuries; it’s not what Vikings fans expected to see from the second-year quarterback. In his nine games, McCarthy has a 57.3 percent completion percentage, 12 interceptions to his 11 touchdowns, and has been sacked 27 times. He’s found success with the ground game at least, rushing for 174 yards and four touchdowns, just two behind the leading rushing scorer in running back Jordan Mason.
Speaking of Mason, the backup running back has seemingly taken over in the backfield for Minnesota, leading the team in carries (145), yards (664), and...
