Mina Kimes says JJ McCarthy may be in dream situation with the Minnesota Vikings, but they still have one major flaw

The Minnesota Vikings are expected to challenge in the NFC this season, despite quarterback JJ McCarthy not yet playing a snap in the NFL.

There is a lot of pressure on 2024 first-round pick JJ McCarthy this year, taking over the Minnesota Vikings offense in his first season as the starter. McCarthy suffered a meniscus injury in the first game of the preseason last year and missed his entire rookie season as a result.

Now, in 2025, Minnesota is aiming to win it all with what is effectively a rookie quarterback. If he plays well, the roster is good enough to give them a shot, but Mina Kimes pointed out one major flaw that must be corrected.

Mina Kimes says Vikings offense is not well balanced, and they must correct run game nightmare

The Vikings had a great season in 2024, going 14-3 in the regular season. The only problem was that despite their best efforts, they couldn’t win a playoff game, and failed to reach double-digit points in the 27-9 loss against the LA Rams.

Head coach Kevin O’Connell is a product of Rams coach Sean McVay. He worked with him for several years in Washington and spent two years as McVay’s offensive coordinator before taking the Vikings job in 2022.

McVay has always run a well-balanced offense, with good production out of the backfield opening up the passing game. He’s helped the Rams to win a Super Bowl, and they’ve played in two since he took the job in 2017.

O’Connell has done a phenomenal job with the Vikings since he took over, but he hasn’t yet made a dent in the postseason. Minnesota have had two 13+ win seasons in the last three years, but crashed out of the playoffs in the wildcard round on both occasions.

One of their key issues in 2024 was the absence of the run game, despite having a Pro Bowl running back in Aaron Jones in the backfield. Mina Kimes raised the point on her podcast while breaking down the NFC North.

“I believe that this investment they’ve made in the interior of the offensive line, which was their undoing in the postseason in some ways, is as much about running the ball better as it is about JJ McCarthy.”

“They’ve got to run the football better than they have the last few years, with this young quarterback.”

The investment Kimes is referring to was the main focal point of the Vikings offseason, and they got right to work on fixing it during free agency.

Minnesota completely reconstructed the interior of its offensive line, letting center Garrett Bradbury and guard Dalton Risner hit free agency. They then went out and signed two former Indianapolis Colts linemen in center Ryan Kelly and guard Will Fries.

Kelly is a nine-year starter who has been a key feature in the Colts’ run game for several seasons. Minnesota gave him a two-year, $18 million deal to play the veteran role for rookie JJ McCarthy, while supporting the run.

Will Fries got injured just five weeks into the 2024 season, but at 27 years old he’s got a lot of great years out in front of him. Minnesota made a significant investment by signing him to a five-year $87.7 million contract.

The final piece is rookie guard Donovan Jackson, whom the Vikings selected in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft. Jackson is a versatile talent who has featured at multiple spots during his college career at Ohio State, again helping to support a high-powered run game.

Crucially, Kelly and Fries are used to playing next to one another, which should help integrate the rookie in 2025.

Minnesota also traded for former San Francisco 49ers‘ running back Jordan Mason, who stood in for Christian McCaffrey for most of the 2024 season.

Mina Kimes pointed out that Mason was third across the entire league in rush yards over expected this past season (per Next Gen Stats), behind only Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley.

Minnesota’s roster is Super Bowl-ready, the pressure is on for JJ McCarthy

The Vikings have everything they need to make a run this season. They’ve added the pieces to construct an efficient run game, as well as additional depth at wide receiver with slot playmaker Rondale Moore.

On the defensive side, coordinator Brian Flores got a few new pieces during the offseason too, with major free agency deals for both Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen.

Minnesota could make a case for having the best defensive front in the NFL, with pass rushers Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel both being paid among the best in the league in 2025.

The only question mark with the defense is how the secondary holds up. Minnesota were a top three team against the run in 2024, but then struggled to contain teams after forcing them into passing situations.

If JJ McCarthy can effectively manage the offense by getting the football to his extremely talented group of weapons, the Vikings could win a lot of games this season. It may finally be Kevin O’Connell’s time to win a playoff game.