Why the Vikings are the NFL’s most underrated team entering 2026 season

I received two text messages at 10:57 p.m. on Tuesday night that were scant on information, but said everything loud and clear: “25th” read the first, followed quickly by another containing a thumbs-up emoji. They came from a friend of mine who is a die-hard Minnesota Vikings fan, and has been bemoaning how overlooked the Vikes have been.

I knew he had read our power rankings, in which Mark Schofield and I ranked the Vikings 25th in the NFL, a playoff chance, but a longer shot, nonetheless. Typically, I wouldn’t second-guess myself, but these two messages gave me pause. Is everyone sleeping on the Vikings right now? Sure, they’re a team locked inside one of the NFL’s most brutal divisions, with questions both at quarterback and on the defensive side of the ball — but there is also a very real possibility that we are overlooking a team that could easily match its win total of 14-3 from 2024, when Sam Darnold emerged as a legitimate franchise quarterback.

The decision to part ways with Darnold will be a lingering question for the next decade. On paper it made a ton of sense for Minnesota at the time, especially with the internal belief that J.J. McCarthy could be “the guy,” but in hindsight it looks like one of the legendary modern NFL blunders. Sure, the Jets and Panthers failed at keeping Darnold too, but they didn’t get the incredible production out of him that the Vikings did. It’s rare you ever see a team let a 4,000-yard, 35 TD quarterback leave — it’s even rarer that the team gets a chance at a do-over, but here we are.

Enter Kyler Murray, who truly looked like someone who could ascend into the top-tier of NFL quarterbacks following the 2020 season. Here was a young player who finished the year with 3,918 passing yards, 26 touchdowns and just 12 interceptions — all while throwing to a group of receivers that featured DeAndre Hopkins, an aging Larry Fitzgerald, and nothing else. It appeared as though Murray was “unlocked,” and then he wasn’t — fading into obscurity in Arizona along with the team, then jettisoned in the offseason while the Cardinals go on their tanking quest.

Murray now finds himself in a place where he could, and should be able to flourish once more. Not only is he inheriting the best weapons he’s ever had in Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Jauan Jennings, and T.J. Hockenson — but more importantly, he lands with a coach in Kevin O’Connell who has a reputation for running a system where quarterbacks thrive, so long as they have a modicum of talent. The only thing holding back Minnesota last year was that J.J. McCarthy lacked even a basic semblance of talent, but the team still managed to go above .500 and finish with a 9-8 record.

Here lies the question: If the Vikings are able to get at least Darnold-level results from Kyler Murray, then shouldn’t they be a playoff lock? Heck, if Murray is able to take as large a step forward in 2026 as Darnold did in 2024, then it’s plausible he’ll be even better than his predecessor. When it comes down to brass tacks there’s little doubt that Murray handles pressure better, is more equipped to make throws out of structure, and is a better creator with his legs when he needs to escape the pocket. Moreover, the Vikings have an offensive line capable of keeping him upright — a luxury he never got to enjoy in Arizona.

The rub with the Vikings comes on the defensive side of the ball, which unquestionably got worse in the offseason. Trading away Jonathan Greenard was a necessary Band-Aid that had to be pulled off because of his salary, but the pass rush takes a major hit as a result of his absence. The organization invested heavily in their line by selecting Caleb Banks with their 1st round pick, who the Vikings must have more faith in that I did during the draft, because I thought it was a bit of a desperation pick considering the board.

That said, Minnesota has an ace in the hole that few other teams can match. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores is a schematic genius who possesses the rare ability to take mediocre talent and turn them into monsters. He’s been doing this for years now, and truth be told, the entire league is dumb as hell for continuing to pass over Flores for head coaching jobs.

All of this comes back to the initial thesis of this discussion: Have we all been sleeping on the Minnesota Vikings? The consensus seems to be that they are locked as 4th in the NFC North, but that really might not be fair when we look at what this team was able to achieve in 2024. Heck, even another 9-8 result would put them far above the 25th-place mark that we had them in our Power Rankings. All this team needs is for Kyler Murray to regain some of his form, and for Flores to work his wonder on the defense once more.

Considering the Vikings also have a middling schedule that isn’t particularly rough, we really could be seeing a team poised to “shock” everyone, but that surprise might not be warranted at all.