Minnesota Vikings
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Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy should sleep a little easier with this latest bout of news that the team has received.
It’s crunch time for the Minnesota Vikings and quarterback J.J. McCarthy. This story is really one of the most watched in the NFL right now, featuring McCarthy finally being back after a season-ending injury that prevented him from ever taking the field during his rookie year. Now, McCarthy is back, and it will be very interesting to see if he’s truly the franchise quarterback for which the Vikings have hoped.
Of course, one of the biggest factors of success for any NFL quarterback is the strength of his offense. So, do the Vikings have the kind of crew around McCarthy that can help him, especially considering that he’ll be new and probably have some nerves?
As the 2025-26 Vikings season approaches, it’s a good time to look at who the Vikings have on their squad and see how it stacks up to other teams in the NFL, especially other NFC North teams. While it would be incredible to see Minnesota get to the final game this season, that will all depend on McCarthy and his team, so let’s get to it.
Vikings Can Rest Easy With Playmaker Ratings
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell is a smart guy and has been planning head when it comes to stacking his offense. Now, in a Tuesday, July 8 feature for ESPN, NFL expert Bill Barnwell lays out the best offenses in the league and says what makes them so solid. “These are the best sets of playmakers, where I’m trying to separate the production of running backs, wide receivers and tight ends from the quarterbacks, offensive lines and coaching staffs with which they play,” he says.
Looking at this ranking, it should make McCarthy sleep easier at night. They’re ranked No. 6 in offense in the NFL, so certainly in a top tier.
Barnwell mainly praises McCarthy’s supporting staff, noting, “A true superstar receiver goes a long way, as Justin Jefferson is one of the two best wideouts in the game alongside Ja’Marr Chase.”
He adds, “The Vikings star combines elite volume with efficiency (2.6 yards per route run), and while he benefits from a coach in Kevin O’Connell who does a great job of creating opportunities and space, Jefferson hasn’t exactly had Joe Burrow at quarterback in Minnesota.”
So, he’s a huge Jefferson fan, which is expected, but he does want to see some showing from the guys around Jefferson. There are some unknowns in the lineup, which Barnwell sees, but he still thinks the Vikings will have one of the strongest offensive lines this season.
“I’d expect this offense to keep humming, but a lot of the players around Jefferson have something to prove,” he notes.
More Praise for the Vikings
Gennaro Filice of NFL.com somewhat agrees. In a June 11 piece, he ranked the Vikings as the No. 9 best offense in the NFL in 2024 but doesn’t have them in the top 10 this time around.
“But considering how many different ways you can slice up offensive production — total offense, yards per play, DVOA, EPA and additional acronymed statistics my feeble mind cannot comprehend — that initial query needs refinement,” he states. “And seeing how the basic goal of this game is to score more points than the opposition, that feels like the simplest approach.”