I am just about the most casual, bandwagon Minnesota Timberwolves fan in human history.
I’m essentially the equivalent of your midwestern, suburban mom leaning in to check on the score from the kitchen while I’m busy working on my tater tot casserole. I understand nothing about the nuances of basketball. I’m only vaguely familiar with the roster outside of the household names, and the intricacies of what constitutes a foul and what doesn’t (especially in Game 1 against the Oklahoma City Thunder) completely elude me.
Watching the Timberwolves the past few weeks in solidarity with all my fellow Minnesota Vikings faithful — many of whom, unlike me, live and die with the Wolves — got me thinking. So much has been made about the postseason experience on the Timberwolves’ roster, particularly after last season’s playoff battles. The Wolves are battle-tested in the postseason, and that’s part of what gives fans hope they can bounce back in the OKC series.
Can we say the same about the Vikings?
This Vikings roster is an interesting mix of seasoned veterans and talented youngsters, but even their best players haven’t had much playoff success. Juxtapose that with some of the perennial playoff favorites in the NFL like the Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills, and Kansas City Chiefs, who seemingly live in their respective conference title games every season. Those teams, like the Eagles were this past postseason against the Los Angeles Rams, don’t have to worry about shrinking in the moment because they’ve been there before.
Does that kind of experience exist on Minnesota’s roster, either from their time here or elsewhere? And how much could that impact this team going forward?
It was fun to see who on the Vikings roster has a meaningful postseason record. Only a handful of guys on this roster have multiple playoff wins, and that’s somewhat expected, considering the NFL has a relatively small playoff field and each game is single elimination.
All that said, the Vikings players with multiple postseason victories on their resumé are: Harrison Smith (2-5), Aaron Jones (3-4), Javon Hargrave (6-5), Jonathan Allen (3-2), and Isaiah Rodgers (2-0). Of those players, Harrison Smith is the only one to win in Minnesota. Blake Cashman and Ryan Kelly are also 1-1 in their careers in the postseason, and veteran right tackle Brian O’Neill has a 1-3 record in Minnesota.
Then there are plenty of star players who have been there for some of Minnesota’s recent heartbreaks in the Kevin O’Connell era. Justin Jefferson and Christian Darrisaw are examples of franchise cornerstones who have yet to win in the playoffs but were on the roster for the heartbreakers against the New York Giants and Rams in the last three years.
Over O’Connell’s tenure, Minnesota simply wins ballgames. Discounting the injury apocalypse of 2023, O’Connell has two years of evidence that he can rack up double-digit wins and dominate the regular season. Minnesota has also won tough games in that stretch, pulled off crazy comebacks, and fought off momentum swings against them. There’s a winning culture in this locker room. Yet, we’ve also seen that culture implode during O’Connell’s only two opportunities at the postseason.
It’s hard in the NFL to stack a roster with players experienced in postseason victories, but I think it’s a genuine advantage. For all the uncertainty this season, especially at the quarterback position with new heir apparent J.J. McCarthy taking the wheel for the first time, it sure would’ve been cool to surround him with guys with postseason experience under their belt. If things get shaky in the playoffs for the Vikings like it did for the Timberwolves in Game 1 against OKC, it would be reassuring to know there’s a been-there-done-that mentality that would keep them from being overwhelmed.
To that end, there are a few guys with winning experience.
First, the head coach has been on a Super Bowl team and was a part of several other Rams playoff successes before that. O’Connell has yet to taste postseason victory as a head coach, but he has seen what it looks like firsthand while working for Sean McVay. Then there are a few others to point to, like Aaron Jones and Javon Hargrave, who have large playoff resumés. The lack of playoff success over the past half-decade in Minnesota will mean that most of their experience will come from free-agency classes.
And while it’s probably a bit of a stretch, I’d be remiss not to mention McCarthy. He’s the primary reason for the concern over Minnesota’s lack of playoff success and a reason to have a bit of optimism. McCarthy has yet to take a single regular-season snap, much less play in the postseason. The Vikings want to bolster the team around him because of his wide-eyed inexperience heading into any hypothetical postseason.
On the other hand, McCarthy’s college experience prepared him to handle big moments better than anyone. He’s played in multiple College Football Playoffs, Big Ten Championship games, and most importantly, won the National Championship game. He was mentored by Jim Harbaugh, a guy pretty familiar with postseason success, on how to prepare for the big stage. Scoff all you want at it simply being college experience, but it’s not nothing!
Ultimately, contenders come in all different shapes. While it’s more common to see teams slowly gain experience in multiple playoff runs before winning it big, it’s not unheard of for a squad to catch fire and make a singular run regardless of how green they may be.
Think of the Cincinnati Bengals getting a few plays away from winning a Super Bowl in their first meaningful playoff run in recent memory. I also see teams like Buffalo, Philly, and the Baltimore Ravens that seemingly inch closer and closer to winning the big game with each playoff appearance, eventually building a locker room culture that feels battle-tested.
Even just getting out of Wild Card Weekend alive would be a tremendous step for the franchise and another proof of concept for Kevin O’Connell. It would slay some of the demons of the past few seasons and could prove a launching pad for this whole next chapter for the franchise.
The Vikings feel they deserve to be treated like contenders. If they start winning like one, they could rewrite those narratives.