All Things 2026 Minnesota Vikings Off-Season Thread

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Woof! Tough look for the NFC North; After Jordan Love at #7, the other division QB's were WAYYYYYYY down the list in the 20's and beyond. Caleb Williams at #25 and JJ McCarthy at #30

 

Ogie Ogilthorpe said:
Woof! Tough look for the NFC North; After Jordan Love at #7, the other division QB's were WAYYYYYYY down the list in the 20's and beyond. Caleb Williams at #25 and JJ McCarthy at #30

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This is a wildly cherry picked stat that means next to nothing

Of note because it’s fun

McCarthy inside the opponents 19
15/34 9 TDs, no picks, 4 rush tds

Burrow
21/41 14 TDs 2 picks, no rush TDs

Rodgers
44/74 14 TDs 1 pick, 1 rush TD

If I throw a great ball into double coverage at the 1 doesn’t count. If ithrow a wide open flat into the end zone off a heavy play action at the 1 (see Rodgers, Aaron) it is a success
 
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RandBall: Five games that will make or break the Vikings this season​

Let’s look at five games in 2026 that will have a major impact on which way things go:

Packers at Vikings, Sept. 13​

In a make-or-break type of season, why not open things with an absolutely huge game. This carries obvious significance from a number of standpoints. Projections have the Vikings as the last place team in the NFC North. Pro Football Focus likes the Packers to win about 10 games, making them a solid playoff candidate. Bank a win against Green Bay in the opener, and you’re 1-0 in your division, in the NFC and in tossup games. Lose and you’re 0-1 in all those categories, plus you’ve dropped a home game. Add in that there will be enormous scrutiny on the Vikings’ QB play in the opener — speaking of a familiar Vikings feeling, we’re still not sure if it will be veteran favorite Kyler Murray or young incumbent J.J. McCarthy — and the first of 17 games has enormous weight.

Vikings at Bears, Sept. 20​

The Bears won the NFC North in surprising fashion last season. The Vikings, even through all their struggles in 2025, won at Soldier Field in Week 1 and could have swept the Bears if not for a slow start and late special teams gaffe at U.S. Bank Stadium. This game carries weight regardless of how Week 1 vs. the Packers goes. Win that one and there’s a chance to start 2-0 with two division wins. Lose that one and this game becomes something close to a must-win if the Vikings hope to compete in the division.

49ers vs. Vikings, Nov. 22​

This game comes at the end of the Vikings’ most difficult stretch of the season: at Detroit, home against Buffalo and at Green Bay before playing the 49ers in Mexico City. The Vikings will have played nine games at this point and very well could either be 4-5 or 5-4 based on their schedule to that point. A win over the 49ers could catapult them to a winning streak, with winnable home games against the Falcons and Panthers next on the schedule. A loss in a conference game could damage their playoff chances.

Lions at Vikings, Dec. 20​

Projection sites like the Lions to enjoy a bounceback season with between 10 and 11 wins after a disappointing 9-8 finish a year ago. If Detroit ends up playing like a division favorite and the Vikings are good enough to be a contender, this game will have huge implications.

Bears at Vikings, Week 18​

We circle the final game of the regular season a lot, and often times it ends up being meaningless if things haven’t gone the way anyone planned. But let’s imagine for a moment that the Vikings and Bears have been reasonably good up to this point and both carry 9-7 records into the finale. A playoff berth, or maybe even a division title, could be on the line in early January at U.S. Bank Stadium. And the result could shape decisions far beyond 2026.


Skol Vikes!!
 

Has Paul Allen ever disliked a Viking rostered qb? I mean Dobbs Dobbs Dobbs Dobbs song? Does he have any discernment?
 




Vic Tafur at The Athletic weighs in on his bets for NFL season O/U for Win Totals.

For anyone that isn't familiar with Vic's work, he does a fair amount of stuff tongue-in-cheek but does have some football chops. The trick is deciphering when he's dead serious and when there's some jest. His take for the Vikings:

Vikings under 8.5 (-110)​

Kyler Murray is poised to have an MVP-type season under Kevin O’Connell. I swear I read that somewhere, and even AI laughed when it saw that.

Look, I get it. If I were competing against J.J. McCarthy, there would be buzz about the overweight sidearmer from Hayward rising up fantasy draft boards. But Murray was an enigma in his seven years with the Cardinals, and it will be interesting to see how long he is motivated with the Vikings. Also, the running backs are uninspiring, and the defense is going to really miss Jonathan Greenard.
 

First day of practice is August 1.

Damn, it's almost here.
 





Slim Tubby said:
Long overdue. Ogie is going to be devastated.

In a surprising move that came seemingly out of nowhere, ESPN reportedly has cut ties with NFL analyst Ryan Clark.
www.nbcsports.com

Report: ESPN cuts ties with Ryan Clark

Clark is reportedly the first in a coming wave of layoffs.
www.nbcsports.com www.nbcsports.com
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I saw that earlier. Good riddance. I basically avoid the "worldwide leader" at all costs but this is yet another solid move towards them returning to some semblance of respectability. Clark is just an awful, awful human being who should have been dumped a long time ago

Damn, training camp can't come soon enough!!! I don't remember in years past being this anxious for football to return
 




Slim Tubby said:
PTI with Kornheiser and Wilbon is great. The rest?

View attachment 45312
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Used to be a ton of shows I used to watch there (PTI, ATH, stump the Schwab, 30 for 30) and then they moved to viral debate style and who can talk the loudest and the network has completely collapsed. Still some good folks there who put out consistently good stuff, but I can’t remember the last time I watched SC or even college gameday.
 

upnorthkid said:
Used to be a ton of shows I used to watch there (PTI, ATH, stump the Schwab, 30 for 30) and then they moved to viral debate style and who can talk the loudest and the network has completely collapsed. Still some good folks there who put out consistently good stuff, but I can’t remember the last time I watched SC or even college gameday.
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I miss Killborn!
 





Ogie Ogilthorpe said:
I saw that earlier. Good riddance. I basically avoid the "worldwide leader" at all costs but this is yet another solid move towards them returning to some semblance of respectability. Clark is just an awful, awful human being who should have been dumped a long time ago

Damn, training camp can't come soon enough!!! I don't remember in years past being this anxious for football to return
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Karl Ravech and Tom Pelissero also expected to get the axe. Ravech has been with ESPN for 30 years but Pelissero getting let go is the bigger surprise to me. I always thought he was very good at the NFL Network.
 

Slim Tubby said:
Karl Ravech and Tom Pelissero also expected to get the axe. Ravech has been with ESPN for 30 years but Pelissero getting let go is the bigger surprise to me. I always thought he was very good at the NFL Network.
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I saw those also! With Ravech, (maybe I'm playing devil's advocate here) it COULD be a situation where he could retire anyway, and they talked to him to see if he would be cool with stepping down. Either that, or simply being someone who had been around so long his salary had gotten out of line with younger staff.

With Tom P, he's someone who is so heavy on other platforms I don't think this matters much at all to him. He could have already been halfway out the door anyway. I wouldn't be worried one bit about Tom P; talent always finds a way. He does exceptional work and he'll never be out of a job. Wouldn't be surprised if we saw something in the near future about him doing something else bigger and better
 


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