Vikings linebacker Jonathan Greenard can wreck the Bears’ gameplan in Week One. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
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The Minnesota Vikings are counting on J.J. McCarthy to step up in his first year of NFL competition and lead the offense to an even greater level than Sam Bradford produced a year ago. That’s the goal, and McCarthy may get to that point eventually, but it is unlikely that he will be at that point in the first weeks of the season.
The Vikings need the Brian Flores-led defense to set the tone in Week One against the Chicago Bears and Week 2 against the Atlanta Falcons. The Vikings have three defensive stars in Jonathan Greenard (12.0 sacks in 2024), Andrew Van Ginkel (11.5 sacks, 2 interceptions for touchdowns) and Blake Cashman (team-leading 112 tackles) who can produce the kind of big plays that take the heart out of opposing offenses.
While the offense has performed at a high level during the first three years of Kevin O’Connell’s leadership, the defense has improved dramatically since the team hired Flores in 2023. The Vikings defense had been among the worst in the league before Flores’ arrival but were middle of the pack in his first season.
That unit continued to progress last year, as the Vikings ranked first in the league in interceptions and were tied for fourth in sacks. Those numbers led to the team finishing fifth in the league in points allowed.
The overall performance – 16th in yards allowed – saw the Vikings slip quite a bit in the last month of the season. However, they were top 10 in that area for the majority of the 17-game schedule.
Flores and his troops have the assignment of harassing Bears quarterback Caleb Williams in the Monday night season opener and producing at least three takeaways. The Vikings are sure to face a raucous crowd at Soldier Field as hungry Bears fans have hope with new head coach Ben Johnson on the sideline.
Newcomers Allen and Hargrave upgrade the DL
Javon Hargrave has been a dominant interior pass rusher when healthy. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
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The Vikings could remove much of that hope by the time the game concludes. Much of that will be due to the trio of Greenard, Van Ginkel and Cashman, the three free agents that the Vikings signed prior to last season. This season’s additions of defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave will give the defensive line far more bite than it had a year ago.
Both Allen and Hargrave are proven interior pass rushers and that’s an area that the Vikings have been missing for multiple seasons.
Allen is coming off an injury-plagued season a year ago when he played in eight games, but he averaged better than 7.0 sacks per season in his three previous years. Hargrave is in the same category as he played in just three games last year and had just 1.0 sack. However, he averaged more than 8.0 sacks in the three prior years, with a high of 11.0 QB traps in 2022 when he was with the Eagles.
The Vikings have upgraded the linebacker and defensive line positions in each of the last two offseasons, so it’s up to the secondary to make it pay off. Safety Josh Metellus has received his Master’s degree in the Flores defense.
He has turned into the key performer in the Flores system. Metellus had 103 tackles last season with 2 interceptions, 5, passes defensed 1 forced fumble, 2 tackles for loss and 6 quarterback hits. His versatility allows the Vikings defense to confuse opposing offensive coordinators and quarterbacks with multiple looks that are very difficult to read.
O’Connell knows there will be a learning curve for his quarterback. McCarthy can’t be expected to be the master of the offense as he starts his career in Week One against the Bears. That’s why the Vikings’ defense must continue to surge. The defense has to deliver signature performances early in the season or the team will have a hard time living up to the status of legitimate NFC title contender.