Daily Norseman
We made it…. to the bye week. The 2025 season has been a bumpy one so far for the Minnesota Vikings. Each week has been a proverbial box of chocolates, as we haven’t known what each game was going to look like for this team. We witnessed a stunning 4th quarter comeback in week one that showcased J.J. McCarthy’s killer instinct. Week two’s performance had many questioning if this team was even good. We got diced up by Bijan Robinson and lost in a game that didn’t see a touchdown until late in the 4th quarter. The game against the Falcons never truly seemed out of hand until the very end (unless you count McCarthy getting sacked six times as out of hand, which, I will concede, is a strong argument to the contrary).
Week three was the Isaiah Rodgers show against a Bengals team that we know is bottom of the barrel in 2025. Week four was a tough overseas battle with the Pittsburgh Steelers that was oddly within reach, even though the run defense looked sluggish against a journeyman backup running back making his first start with the Steelers. Minnesota could have squeezed out a win if a couple of things went their way. This past week we saw a gritty 4th quarter comeback and some of KO’s best play calling of the season, when it mattered most. The offense was effectively moving the ball all day, despite losing the turnover battle 0-2. Under head coach Kevin O’Connell, the Vikings are now 5-15 when losing the turnover battle.
A few weeks ago, I wrote an article about how the Vikings hit “rock bottom.” I stand by my take that it couldn’t get any worse after the week two loss to Atlanta. Here we are, going into a week 6 bye with a 3-2 record, despite the offensive line having four starters in week one and dwindling down to one by the end of week 5. I mean seriously, it is incredibly impressive that the Minnesota offense was effective at all, considering that in the 4th quarter, Will Fries was the only starting offensive lineman out on the field. Having a left tackle on a snap count is one of the most absurd strategies I have seen implemented by an NFL team. I feel like it is rare as offensive linemen tend to stay in for an entire game to ensure continuity. I expect that Darrisaw’s ramp up period will end over the bye week.
The approach to Darrisaw exemplifies the Minnesota Vikings’ philosophy of taking care of their players and being more concerned about the long-term health of the team rather than winning a couple football games. It has been a struggle through five games, but the 2025 Minnesota Vikings are showing strong signs of resiliency. KO talks all the time about overcoming adversity. Well, this season is a chance for him to put the team mantra of more...
