Docs Website

53 Years Strong! A Trusted Leader In Sports Picks, Best Bets and Predictions Since 1971.

Main Menu

2025 Minnesota Vikings Predictions with Odds to Win the Super Bowl and Season Win Totals

by Spencer Toth - 8/12/2025

Minnesota Vikings predictions Jordan Mason

The Minnesota Vikings are coming off their best regular season since 1998 after they went 14-3 last year. They were unable to translate regular season success into tangible rewards, as they were swiftly bounced in the Wild Card round in embarrassing fashion. This will be a very different Minnesota team this season, as they look to usher in JJ McCarthy as the starting quarterback. A tough NFC North will leave the Vikings with little margin for error this season, but they are well built on both sides of the ball, and will be looking to break all sorts of curses with a deep playoff run. 

Doc’s Sports offers NFL expert picks for every game on our NFL predictions page.

Offseason Recap

Despite a fantastic regular season from Sam Darnold, the Minnesota Vikings elected to let him walk in free agency where he found a home in Seattle. While the quarterback change will dominate the headlines for the Vikings, they were an incredibly active team in the offseason and will look different all over the field this year.

On offense, Minnesota brought in Jordan Mason to replace Cam Akers in the backfield. Mason will look to develop a partnership with Aaron Jones behind JJ McCarthy, and he has already proven he can deliver the volume the Vikings need on the ground after stepping up for an injured Christian McCaffrey last season. The Vikings also elected to bolster their offensive line, bringing in Will Fries, Justin Skule, and using their first round draft pick on Donovan Jackson. Fries and Jackson are expected to be the Vikings’ Week 1 starters at left and right guard. Attracting a big free agent like Fries is no small victory for Minnesota, as that is something they have really struggled with in recent seasons. 

The Vikings made the necessary changes they needed on offense, but it pales in comparison to their defensive overhaul. The Vikings were a solid team on defense last year, especially against the run, and they will now threaten to be the best defensive unit in the league with their recent additions. Starting up front, Minnesota got two huge additions in Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen. Hargrave may play on the interior, but his ability to bully the offensive line and crowd the quarterback is second-to-none. He had limited playing time due to injuries last season, but when he is healthy and available, Hargrave will speed up the opposing quarterback’s inner clock with his pass rushing abilities. Not to be outdone, Jonathan Allen has been the focal point of the Commanders pass rush for the last decade, but missed time last season due to injuries. Washington elected to move on, and the Vikings got a legitimate game changer as a result. The Vikings also re-signed their major pieces in the middle of the field, but they failed to bolster their secondary after Shaquill Griffin and Stephon Gilmore both departed. 

Season Expectations

The Minnesota fanbase is in an interesting position heading into this season. A 14-3 record last year wasn’t good enough to win the division, but it is hard to get too upset despite another disappointing postseason. JJ McCarthy will bring a new wave of optimism for where this team can go this year, but the lack of quarterback depth is a real concern. McCarthy missed last season due to a torn meniscus. If he gets hurt again, the Vikings will be heavily depleted, as backup Sam Howell is not considered a playoff-caliber quarterback in the NFL. 

The Vikings were repeatedly called frauds last season, and while they may not have ‘deserved’ their 14-3 record, they were still a consistent football team that deserved a spot in the playoffs. Justin Jefferson has turned into the most consistent receiver in the league, and he is poised for another big season, this time with McCarthy under center. While the early suspension for Jordan Addison will limit their early options, the Vikings have a competent offense to go along with their truly dominant defense. 

On the other side of the ball, the Vikings will be hoping their defense can play at the same level they did last year. It is no secret that Sam Darnold made mistakes on offense, but what allowed the Vikings to consistently win one-score games was their ability to get big stops. More often than not, whichever team has the ball late in a one-score game ends up winning, but that was not the case with Minnesota. The Vikings got stop after stop, and finished the year with a 9-1 record in one-possession games. Allen and Hargrave will make this defense even scarier up front, and as long as their secondary can play average football, this will be a truly dominant unit. 

Minnesota Vikings Schedule Breakdown

The Vikings have the 5th hardest schedule in the NFL, as they once again find themselves in the challenging NFC North. The Lions and Packers are both expected to make the playoffs, while the Bears are expected to be better than their 5-12 record last year. Minnesota has those six games, while they also have to go through the AFC North and NFC East. Both of those divisions have three teams that can make the playoffs, and the Vikings will have little margin for error as a result. Following their early Week 6 bye, the Vikings face off against the Eagles, Chargers, Lions, and Ravens. If they can go .500 in that stretch, they will set themselves up for a successful second half of the season. 

Minnesota Vikings Odds

 

The Minnesota Vikings are expected to finish well below their 14 wins last year, as their win total is a mere 9.5 wins. They are slightly favored to miss the playoffs with -130 odds compared to +100 to make, and are seen as long shots to reach the NFC championship due to their lack of a proven quarterback. In the NFC North, the Vikings have +350 odds to win the division, and have +250 odds to finish second, third, or fourth, respectively. Another 14-3 season is likely out of reach, but this is a strange line for a team that only got better on defense. They had the 4th best defense in terms of PPG last year, and a pair of truly dominant pass rushers will help shore up their average pass defense. 

2025 Minnesota Vikings Season Predictions and Best Bets

The Vikings are unlikely to cash the +2500 Super Bowl ticket available, but another solid season in Minnesota can be expected. Will the Vikings regress? Absolutely. However, the plus-money odds for Minnesota to make the playoffs are a truly remarkable proposition. The Vikings' defense will allow JJ McCarthy to play confident football in the pocket, while setting up short fields with their ball-hawking skills. Taking a rookie QB to make the playoffs is always nerve-wracking, but McCarthy has shown poise and maturity while learning on the sidelines. At +100 odds, the Vikings to make the playoffs is the top pick to make. For the second bet, we will take it a step further and take the Vikings to lose in the Wild Card round at +350. Minnesota was one-and-done last season, and I expect lightning to strike twice this year, too. McCarthy doesn’t have the experience to make a deep playoff run, but I like the Vikings to get their feet wet against the Bears and Falcons to kick off the season and make the playoffs. This is a juicy prop to root for this year, and is the price point you should be targeting for season-long futures. 

Top Pick: Minnesota Vikings to Make the Playoffs +100

Pick: Minnesota Vikings to be Eliminated in the Wild Card Round +350

Get NFL picks on every single game, or if you want our very best bet premium picks by the experts, sign up for your free $60 account with a guarantee.

 

Most Recent NFL Handicapping

One E-mail A Week Is All You Need!
Our weekly newsletter is loaded with exclusive free picks,insight and advice from our expert handicappers