The Crystal Ball Says (2026 Edition)
Last season, for my inaugural crystal ball look at the 2025 Minnesota Vikings season, I stepped on a rake. I had our favorite team going 12-5, largely because of early optimism about J.J. McCarthy ’s readiness. While the reasoning seemed sound, a rookie season comparable to those of C.J. Stroud , Jayden Daniels , and Bo Nix didn’t materialize. I absolutely still have faith, but that’s a topic for another time. I take some solace in knowing I wasn’t alone in embracing that take. Heck, the Vikings organization thought that, too. While rumors of internal disagreement are out there and need to be acknowledged, the only thing we know is that Sam Darnold was allowed to leave and that McCarthy was under center in Week 1 in Chicago . Watching Darnold hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy for the Seattle Seahawks 11 months later was an outcome only the Vikings could manage. Enough dwelling on old tortures. Surely there are fresh ones to prepare for. With that in mind, let’s talk about the 2026 schedule . THE INSURANCE POLICY OFFSEASON First, some context. This entire exercise assumes that 2026 is playoff-success-or-bust. As I mentioned last time: A 12-5, 11-6, or 10-7 one-and-done season won’t cut it. Not making the playoffs would be calamitous and could prompt a major offseason shakeup. We need to win some playoff games – period. That’s why we just went through the “insurance-policy offseason.” Most importantly, it meant bringing Brian Flores back at any cost. He quickly became the NFL’s highest-paid coordinator. Check. Then it was all about jumping on the fortuitous Kyler Murray situation. He’s now the overwhelming betting favorite to become the Vikings’ new starter for the veteran minimum of $1.3 million. But wait! What if Murray comes in and plays poorly – in training camp or otherwise? Then we have a locked-in, improved McCarthy to reclaim the QBOTF trajectory we hoped for last season. To quote Leo Getz from the Lethal Weapon movies: “Okay, okay, okay, okay”… what if, through performance or injury, neither Murray nor McCarthy is the answer during the season? Enter a healthy Carson Wentz , who looked just fine at the helm before getting battered by injuries. And, unlike last season, he’ll have a full offseason to soak in KOC’s offense. Insurance at the QB position? Check. This brings us to the one-year deal for free-agent WR Jauan Jennings . If all goes well, the Vikings will have the most talented and dangerous 1-2-3 WR group since Carter, Moss, and Reed. But if Jefferson or Addison were to miss time, you could do a whole lot worse than Jefferson-Jennings-Felton or Addison-Jennings-Felton. I was on record as being optimistic about the pre-Jennings Jefferson-Addison-Felton scenario. The Jennings signing was massive. He adds an entirely new dynamic to the passing game, to say nothing of his blocking ability. Security on offense for whoever is playing QB? Check. Everything is in place to prevent another 2023 or 2025 from happening. BREAKING DOWN THE SCHEDULE With the understanding that this season will ultimately be judged by what happens (or doesn’t) in the postseason, you still have to get there. Of course, we already knew the opponents: six division games, the rotating formula of NFC and AFC divisional opponents (NFC South and AFC East), and three games (two NFC/one AFC) determined by last season’s third-place finish (49ers/Commanders/Colts). In the end, the way the final schedule actually broke down was certainly more positive than negative. What I Like About the Schedule At first glance, the positive takeaways were: At the Chicago Bears in September (Week 2). Yes, we won there last year, making it six straight. But it’s never easy. Five of those six were one-score games. And before this recent run, Soldier Field was a house of horrors: 3-12 in the previous 15 trips. I’d have a lot less confidence in winning this one if it were late in the season and in frigid conditions. Not having to deal with that is a benefit. At Gre [... truncated ...]
