Getty Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell reacts against the Detroit Pistons. The Minnesota Vikings won 14 games in 2024 and boasted one of the NFL’s best and most aggressive defenses. However, second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy looms as the biggest “X-factor” the Vikings have in their pursuit to win the NFC North in 2025. McCarthy missed his entire rookie season with a knee injury, but the Vikings have gone out of their way to ensure, as best they can, that he has a soft landing.