Why The Minnesota Vikings Are Serious NFC Contenders

The Minnesota Vikings were pegged by many to be rebuilding this year. After letting the Kirk Cousins era expire over the winter, the team elected to go in a new direction.

Following the example of many teams before them, the Vikings picked up Sam Darnold to be the short-term starter. Then, they drafted J.J. McCarthy to be the long-term solution.

However, their long-term plan was dealt a serious knockback when McCarthy went down with an injury. Some are excited to see Darnold respond strongly, but many doubt the seriousness of the Vikings.

But there are a couple of key reasons why the Vikings are for real.

Minnesota Vikings have element of surprise

The best teams sometimes are the freshest ones. With Darnold under center, defenses are left wondering how to defend against him. He has proven that he can throw just fine and won’t make the killer mistake. As such, opponents are testing out different hypotheses at the lost of losses, trying to figure him out. By the time they do, the Vikings could be in the driver’s seat in the NFC.

Psychological history of winning with passed-over QB

Long-time Vikings fans and NFL viewers have seen this story before.

Back in 2017, Case Keenum led the Vikings on an unlikely ride to the NFC Championship game. Keenum had been passed over by other teams before but got his break due to an injury. Darnold also was effectively granted the 2024 season as a result of an injury and is now 2-0.

As such, there is a psychological factor of some players feeling “here we go again,” whether they admit it or not. At this point, the Minnesota Vikings might be the NFC’s best defense against the ascending New Orleans Saints.