The Vikings do have a rock solid roster with maybe some quibbles at the cornerback position, the safety opposite Hitman, the left guard position, and some other depth spots (WR3, TE3, RB3, LB3. Overall though, it is hard to come up with a reason why they should not be in the mix to go to the big dance. It is going to come down to how well JJ McCarthy can navigate this season. He has the experience in college of high pressure environments so that is going to help.
One beautiful person believes the Vikings can win it all and if you were not already a fan of Kay Adams then you might become one now.
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Kay Adams on 2025 Vikings: ‘I think they’re gonna win the Super Bowl’
“I think they’re gonna win the Super Bowl,” she said to NBC’s Chris Simms on the latest episode of her Up & Adams show Monday.
The context was a discussion about the 2024 class of first-round quarterbacks, which includes Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, Michael Penix Jr., J.J. McCarthy, and Bo Nix. That group, particularly Daniels and Nix, got off to a strong start last season. Williams and Maye are among those who showed promise and are looking to make second-year leaps. The wild card is McCarthy, who didn’t play a snap as a rookie due to a torn meniscus.
“We haven’t seen J.J. McCarthy, but he’s obviously in a spot to succeed there with that coach and that talent,” Simms said. “The Vikings are in a Super Bowl window.”
A bit later, Simms went in the other direction when asked which of those QBs he’s the most worried about.
“There’s nobody I’m terribly worried about,” he said. “I guess J.J. McCarthy’s the one where you go — ‘wait, they went 14-3 last year, they had Sam Darnold last year, (McCarthy) hasn’t played football in a year.’ It’s a team that I think flirted with Aaron Rodgers a little bit because they looked at it and went ‘wait, we’re a Super Bowl team, like right now. Do we want to really depend on —”
And that’s when Adams interjected with her take that the Vikings are going to win it all.
“Well, if J.J. McCarthy, he doesn’t even have to play A-plus football, if he can just play B-plus football, they’ll have a chance,” Simms said. “I’m excited to see that, but he’s the one I’d maybe question the most.”
“Yeah, I would too, and then I met him and, just like a total fan, just fell for him,” Adams replied. “I met him down in Mayakoba at the NFLPA Classic, and I go ‘oh, you are a winner.’ And just how Case (Keenum) was talking about him, how Harrison (Smith) was talking about him. The OGs. (Adam) Thielen, the way he was speaking to me. I bought every stock.”
Minnesota Vikings News and Links
Vikings’ two-week international stretch comes with competitive advantages
While the prospect of what could be a trip of ten-plus days to Europe in the middle of the NFL season may seem daunting, it should actually present some competitive advantages to the Vikings. For one, they’ll be the “road” team in both contests, which means they won’t lose one of their eight home games at U.S. Bank Stadium. Instead of playing in hostile environments in Pittsburgh and Cleveland, these will be neutral-site games that should feature plenty of purple in the crowd. Vikings fans always travel well, and there’s already a healthy contingent of them in Ireland and the United Kingdom.
This extended trip means the Vikings will only have seven true road games among their 17 this season. The rest of the NFC North will play nine such contests. That’s a real advantage for Minnesota. Additionally, for the second of these two games, the Vikings will have already been adjusted to the time zone for over a full week, which won’t be the case for the Browns. That could matter as well.
JJ McCarthy will make NFL history with the Minnesota Vikings in 2025
On Monday, the Minnesota Vikings announced that they’ll become the first NFL team to play in back-to-back international games in two different countries in 2025. The first is set to take place against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Ireland on Sep. 28, followed by a matchup with the Cleveland Browns in London on Oct. 5.
That means McCarthy will become the first quarterback in NFL history to play back-to-back international games.
Vikings draftee chosen as non-Round 1 pick who could have immediate impact
Vikings first-round pick Donovan Jackson is obviously set to have a major role in his rookie season, as he’s the clear favorite to be Minnesota’s starting left guard right away. But the Vikings might also get some 2025 contributions from the other four players in their draft class.
One of those players, fifth-round defensive lineman Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, was recently highlighted by ESPN’s Field Yates among 27 non-first round picks who could make an immediate impact on their new teams. Yates ranked his top ten such defensive players, all of whom were picked on Day 2, and then included Ingram-Dawkins in a “three more to watch” section.
Vikings first-round pick Donovan Jackson is obviously set to have a major role in his rookie season, as he’s the clear favorite to be Minnesota’s starting left guard right away. But the Vikings might also get some 2025 contributions from the other four players in their draft class.
One of those players, fifth-round defensive lineman Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, was recently highlighted by ESPN’s Field Yates among 27 non-first round picks who could make an immediate impact on their new teams. Yates ranked his top ten such defensive players, all of whom were picked on Day 2, and then included Ingram-Dawkins in a “three more to watch” section.
In a shocking world, the Minnesota Vikings could cut this former draft pick to restart their regime this upcoming season.
Despite letting former quarterback Sam Darnold hit the free agent market, the Minnesota Vikings will likely cut JJ McCarthy before the 2025 regular season. One NFL analyst believes the Vikings are on the verge of releasing the former draft pick after missing the entire campaign last year. It’ll be interesting to see what the team will do, but they need a solid quarterback, as they saw Darnold bring them to limits they’ve never seen in a bridge signal-caller. The pressure is on the Vikings this year to see what they will do, and even though the team may not move on immediately, it’s still possible that it’s coming sooner rather than later.
Note: Some dudes need to lay off the drugs
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