Minnesota Vikings Now a Team to Watch…?

Last weekend the Minnesota Vikings pulled off an upset on the road against the Detroit Lions. They went from staring at a 3-5 record to owning a 4-4 record. That now makes them dangerous once again, and a victory against the Baltimore Ravens would only further the narrative.

Kevin O’Connell needs J.J. McCarthy to continue his development if the team is going to remain competitive this season. Should the Vikings make the playoffs, their star weapons all over the roster make them dangerous. At this point, it’s the reason you can’t yet count them out.

Don’t count out the MN Vikings

We’ll find out plenty about the Minnesota Vikings this weekend against the Baltimore Ravens. Lamar Jackson is healthy, and so to is the vast majority of Jim Harbaugh’s team. An upset win would do wonders for Kevin O’Connell’s team, and The Athletic’s Mike Jones isn’t counting them out.

Their NFC North neighbor Minnesota Vikings have experienced some ups and downs, but last week’s win over Detroit looked way more like what Kevin O’Connell envisioned entering the season: Punishing defense, strong run game and a handful of impactful throws from young J.J. McCarthy. This season is all about supporting and developing McCarthy, but the 4-4 Vikings might manage to make things interesting if they can stick with this recipe.

The Athletic

Jones starts by discussing the upswing that the Chicago Bears are currently on, but the Vikings are hardly a rollover in the NFC North. If more results like the one against Detroit are on the way, then the entire league gets put on notice.

Despite coming in with a 3-5 record, Baltimore is favored due to being a healthy version of a team that had Super Bowl aspirations. They aren’t going to roll over, and they added talent at the trade deadline as well. This is another matchup in the gauntlet portion of the Vikings schedule, and they have plenty to prove on a weekly basis.

game day JJ McCarthy might be a serial killer pic.twitter.com/fRGqlJsUtQ

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) November 2, 2025

When the year started it was J.J. McCarthy tasked with getting the job done for the Vikings. He returned from his high-ankle sprain and the weight of the world is on him. Those expectations will only grow on a weekly basis, and how well the young quarterback can manager them will make the difference.

If O’Connell can put his team in position to keep winning big games, then by the team any playoff matchup comes around they may be the most battle-tested team in the league.