The Minnesota Vikings aren't on the field today. While the rest of the NFL world fixates on the Divisional Round—watching the Seahawks dismantle the 49ers and the Bears prepping for a slugfest with the Rams—the Purple and Gold are already in "what if" mode. It's January 18, 2026. The snow is thick in Minneapolis, and the lockers at TCO Performance Center are mostly empty.
Searching for Minnesota Vikings highlights today usually brings up a flurry of playoff clips for other teams, but for Skol Nation, the "highlights" are currently found in the rearview mirror and the murky draft board. The team finished 9-8. They ended on a five-game heater, including a 16-3 win over the Green Bay Packers in the finale, but it wasn't enough to leapfrog into the dance.
Honestly, it’s a weird spot to be in.
The Bittersweet Finale: Vikings 16, Packers 3
The last time we saw this squad in live action, they were suffocating a resting Packers team. It wasn't a masterpiece. It was a cold, defensive grind. J.J. McCarthy looked like the franchise savior for exactly two quarters before his throwing hand decided it had seen enough for the year.
He went 14-of-23 for 182 yards. He played with a certain "get off my lawn" energy, even drawing a taunting penalty after a stiff-arm on Ty’Ron Hopper. People loved it. Then, he vanished into the blue medical tent. Max Brosmer finished the job, which is basically the story of the Vikings' 2025 season: flashes of brilliance interrupted by the sound of a training room door swinging open.
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Standout Performers from the Final Stretch
- Justin Jefferson: The man is a machine. He hauled in 8 catches for 101 yards in the finale, securing his sixth straight 1,000-yard season. He’s only the third receiver in history to do that. Think about that. Even with a revolving door at QB, Jets stays inevitable.
- Dallas Turner: He’s lived in opponents' backfields. In that final game against Green Bay, he notched two sacks and a forced fumble. He finished the season looking like the Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate everyone predicted.
- Jordan Mason: A mid-season revelation. His 24-yard zigzagging run against the Pack, complete with a soul-crushing stiff-arm, proved the Vikings finally found a ground game to complement the air attack.
Why the "Highlights" Are All About the Future
You can’t talk about Minnesota Vikings highlights today without acknowledging the elephant in the room: the QB health. McCarthy has had four notable injuries in two seasons. That’s a scary stat for a guy who is supposed to be the pillar of the organization for the next decade.
When he was on, the offense hummed. When he wasn't, Kevin O'Connell was essentially trying to win drag races in a minivan. The five-game winning streak to end the year showed that the "culture" is there—the guys didn't quit when they were 4-8. They fought back to over .500. But in the NFC North, where the Bears just won the division and the Lions are always a threat, "fighting back" is just the baseline.
The Brian Flores Factor
The real highlight of the year might be the defense. Brian Flores turned a unit of "who's that?" guys into a group that held the Packers to minus-7 passing yards in the season finale. Sure, Green Bay was playing Clayton Tune, but holding any NFL team to negative passing yards is absurd.
What Most People Get Wrong About This Roster
There’s a narrative that the Vikings are "stuck." People see the 9-8 record and think they are in the NFL’s version of purgatory. But look closer. They beat the Lions on Christmas. They handled the Cowboys in Big D. They won five straight to end the year.
The roster isn't broken; it's just thin. When T.J. Hockenson and Aaron Jones went down, the floor dropped out. The highlight of this offseason won't be a flashy trade; it’ll be the cap casualties and the boring, necessary depth signings.
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Minnesota Vikings Highlights Today: The Offseason To-Do List
If you're looking for what to watch next, it's not the game film. It's the front office. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has a massive spring ahead.
- The Quarterback Room: They need a veteran insurance policy that isn't just a "break glass in case of emergency" guy. McCarthy is the future, but his availability is a question mark.
- Defensive Tackle: Beyond the edge rushers, the middle of that line needs some beef.
- The Secondary: They took some steps forward, but getting a true lockdown corner to pair with the emerging young talent is non-negotiable.
The Vikings are currently watching the playoffs from their couches, but the mood in Minnesota isn't as grim as you’d think. The late-season surge proved the scheme works. Now, they just need the bodies to stay healthy enough to execute it for 17 weeks.
Keep an eye on the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine reports over the next few weeks. That is where the next set of Vikings highlights will actually begin. For now, we wait and watch the NFC North rivals try to do what the Vikings couldn't quite finish.