Minnesota Vikings 2024-2025 Season Outlook: Schedule & Ticket Deals

Last season was heartbreaking for the Vikings as they missed the playoffs after quarterback Kirk Cousins was sidelined due to a ruptured Achilles tendon in week eight’s game against Green Bay.

Joshua Dobbs started from week nine to thirteen, while Nick Mullens played the remaining games. Minnesota struggled early in the season, starting 1-4 before winning five in a row to improve their record to 6-4 heading into week 11. Things turned south quickly as the Vikings went 1-6 the rest of the way to finish 7-10. Seven points or less decided eight of ten losses – signaling their inability to close out games.

2024 will be the first season without Cousins since he left for the Atlanta Falcons in free agency. Long-time linebacker/defensive end Danielle Hunter signed with the Houston Texans, ending a nine-season stint in Minneapolis. Other losses include Alexander Mattison, Marcus Davenport, Jordan Hicks, Dean Lowry and K.J. Osborn. After Mattison’s exit, ex-Packer Aaron Jones was signed to upgrade the running back spot. Sam Darnold joined the Vikings as there was uncertainty of who was going to start in lieu of Cousins. Minnesota also signed Andrew Van Ginkel as a replacement for Hunter while bringing in Blake Cashman and Kamu Grugier-Hill.

2023 National Champion J.J. McCarthy was chosen tenth overall in the draft as Minnesota needed an eventual long-term answer at quarterback. McCarthy will sit behind Darnold so that quarterbacks coach Josh McCown has time to develop his skill set, as he didn’t throw much during Michigan’s 2023 national championship season. Alabama’s Dallas Turner was picked 17th overall to provide insurance to a revamped defense. Turner is a versatile player, a plus for defensive coordinator Brian Flores as he likes to flip players around.

Minnesota has the NFL’s 28th-easiest schedule in 2024. The Vikings will travel to London to play the Jets in week five, facing a familiar face in Aaron Rodgers. Other games include the 49ers in week two, Texans in week three, Rams in week eight, Seahawks in week 16 and annual matchups with their NFC North rivals.

The Vikings need to close out games to be successful, as they were 5-8 in one-score games in 2023. In other words, offensive turnovers must be reduced while the defense produces key stops late in games.

Article by Christian Bongiorno