It’s been a tough season for the Minnesota Vikings, who are 5-8 overall in the 2025 NFL season after posting a 31-0 shutout of the Washington Commanders.
With that type of record, while dealing with injuries to players like starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy, the Vikings’ potential playoff hopes have somewhat dimmed. While anything can happen in the NFL, seeing Minnesota as part of the NFL postseason party might be a stretch.
How Far Can the Minnesota Vikings Go?
Before Sunday’s games, the Vikings were in 12th place among NFC teams. Minnesota has a 2-2 record within the NFC North Division and now has a 3-5 record within the conference. That’s not much hope for any NFL playoff dreams for Vikings fans this season.
The PFSN NFL Playoff Predictor gives an estimate of how the season is going to play out for the entire league while keeping the strength of schedule in mind.
According to PFSN data, the Vikings currently have a 0.30% chance of making the NFL playoffs. When it comes to winning the NFC North Division, the Vikings are listed as having zero percent chance of doing so.
All things point toward a non-playoff season for McCarthy and his Vikings teammates. In fact, it’s come down to this. Minnesota would have been eliminated from any NFL postseason conversation had it suffered a fifth straight loss on Sunday.
Coming into Week 14, the Vikings had lost four straight games for the first time since their four-game losing streak in the 2023 NFL season, which ultimately ended the year with a 7-10 record. But they stopped that losing streak against the Commanders.
MORE:Â 7-Round 2026 NFL Mock Draft
What have been some mitigating factors regarding Minnesota’s down season? According to the PFSN NFL Offense Impact metrics, the Vikings have an impact score of 61.5 and grade out to a D-. Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell has probably seen enough of Brosmer to last a lifetime.
McCarthy was back out there on the field on Sunday against the Commanders after he cleared concussion protocol. Vikings fans were eager to see how the second-year quarterback would play against Washington, and he arguably had the best game of his career.
The Vikings’ chances of making the playoffs are very low, but the fans can still hope for the team to pull off a miracle.
Here are the remaining games on the Vikings’ schedule:
Week 15: Vikings at Cowboys
Week 16: Vikings at Giants
Week 17: Vikings vs. Lions
Week 18: Vikings vs. Packers
