Here’s a look at where the Vikings landed heading into Week 18:
No. 16 (up 3 spots): Eric Edholm, NFL.com
I know Kevin O’Connell can coach. He has logged 13- and 14-win seasons, somehow kept his 2023 team competitive with a mishmash of quarterbacks and essentially has done the same in 2025 with significant shortcomings at the game’s most important position. Winning a divisional bout with 3 net passing yards is something I’d brag about at parties. At 8-8, the Vikings can finish a trying season with a winning record by beating Green Bay at home – and the Packers are locked into the No. 7 seed, meaning they’ll likely rest players on Sunday. That’s why this season hasn’t buried my belief in O’Connell, and I am still willing to envision a scenario where J.J. McCarthy starts putting it together next year. We’ll see if another team tries to poach Brian Flores for a head-coaching opening, and Harrison Smith could retire, but I suspect this is still a team that can compete in 2026.
