Kevin O'Connell, JJ McCarthy, Vikings
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Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell and quarterback J.J. McCarthy
The Minnesota Vikings host the Baltimore Ravens this Sunday, November 9th in their first meeting since 2021 since their respective divisions face-off against each other once every four years.
It is a big time game for both teams, as the Vikings sit at 4-4 and the Ravens at 3-5. Both teams are looking to bring their seasons back from the brink, as they both went into Week 9 with losing records and came out victorious. Of course, the Ravens still have a losing record, but the return of quarterback Lamar Jackson has injected life into a team that was 1-5 just two weeks ago.
The Vikings were 3-4 before their big-time victory over division rival Detroit Lions at Ford Field in Week 9, a victory that both provided hope for the Vikings’ 2025 campaign and inspired confidence in the Vikings’ brass and fanbase in young quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
Vikings’ Future Historically Hinges On Result Against Ravens
J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings
Getty(Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
The Minnesota Vikings’ matchups with the Baltimore Ravens have always had huge implications, dating back to the Ravens’ founding in 1996.
This was brought to light by Dustin Baker on X, and it’s quite polarizing:
“*NFC Championship or Coach Fired? Vikings-Ravens is a bellwether event for the Vikings. They’re 3-4 all-time against Baltimore. In the three seasons they beat the Ravens, they went to the NFC Championship. In the four seasons they lost, the Vikings’ head coach got fired.*”
Dustin Baker on X
These are quite large implications for what should usually be a low-importance interconference showdown. Obviously, if the Vikings are to lose, it is not likely that head coach Kevin O’Connell will be shown the door after the season.
“Coach KO” is the reigning, defending NFL AP Coach of the Year, and his seat is not hot whatsoever unlike Mike Zimmer for example, whom was the head coach of the Vikings in 2021 when the team lost to the Ravens, eventually leading to his firing after the season concluded.
Could Minnesota Have A Conference Championship Run In Them?
Kevin O'Connell and J.J. McCarthy
GettyVikings’ head coach Kevin O’Connell kept it real when discussing J.J. McCarthy’s injury return
It’s obviously unlikely that the Vikings can lift themselves to the NFC Championship game this season; the team sits at 4-4 and is currently multiple spots out of a playoff berth in a tight NFC conference. They are also sitting in last in the NFC North.
Crazier things have happened in the NFL, but the Vikings have continuously been one of the most resilient teams in American football during the Kevin O’Connell era. Still, it remains a very small possibility that Minnesota can find themselves in a game to win and be in the Super Bowl.
The thing that the Vikings have going is that the NFC (and NFL) in general is very wide open this season. They’ve already proven they can beat arguably the best team in the conference on the road, and the other top team by record in the conference, the Green Bay Packers, just got taken down by the Carolina Panthers at Lambeau Field.
Will history continue to repeat itself, or will history just be what it is for these Minnesota Vikings as we roll on deeper into 2025?