SKOL from the Sofa
2025 Week 9 – Vikings at Lions

It’s safe to say the Vikings’ win over the Lions on Sunday was a surprise, but not unwelcome. But where do the 2025 Minnesota Vikings go from here? In this week’s Skol from the Sofa, content writer Jonathan Pye takes a look back at the game and what could be on the horizon as the trade deadline approaches.

The Lions game on November 2nd was the imagined utopia of what the 2025 Minnesota Vikings could be when Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was doing his offseason planning after the debacle that was the final two games of last season. The plan was that the roster would be so strong in all other areas of the field that the quarterback would only have to make four or five plays to win each game.

Excellence in all three phases

For the first time this season other than the Bengals game, that plan came to fruition. Aaron Jones averaged nearly nine yards a carry on the ground, as well as two catches for 20 yards. Jordan Addison and Justin Jefferson threw some great blocks to create further gaps on the edge. The offensive line did a good job creating holes in the running game and giving McCarthy time to throw. Of course, some credit has to go to the receivers themselves, who made some tough catches as McCarthy was errant at times with his placement and touch.

The defense held the Lions’ one-two punch at running back to 19 carries for 60 yards, as well as a crucial turnover; the only time our run defense was truly exploited and Montgomery had an opportunity to house it, Blake Cashman was there to punch the ball out. The defensive line won the battle of the trenches, sacking Goff five times in total. In particular, we had great success running stunts targeting the centre; Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen finally looked like the elite defensive tackles that we had paid big money for in free agency. Having Andrew Van Ginkel back was crucial too. He just creates havoc in the opposing team’s offense.

Special teams were also on point. Will the Thrill was reliable as ever, perfect on the day. Levi Drake Rodriguez blocked a field goal that Isaiah Rodgers returned deep into opposing territory. This gave us crucial field position and we were able to take time off the clock and put ourselves in a good position to win the ball game late in the fourth. Myles Price was superb again with a couple of returns that gave us amazing field position; he’s undoubtedly the best return man the Vikings have had since Kene Nwangwu. If only our special teams could stop committing holding penalty on every other return, as Price had a 99-yard return negated in this game.

Eyes on McCarthy

However, ultimately the team was going to live and die by the ability of the quarterback to make four or five good plays, and this time McCarthy was up to the task. It was definitely his cleanest game yet. There were elements of touch on his passes that we hadn’t seen before. The backwards screen pass to Jones out in the flat which he took for 30 yards was the best example on the day. In week 1, he would have thrown it full pelt and the ball would have been incomplete. Instead he allowed Jones to take it in his stride and run into the empty space created by the blocking.

The touchdown pass to Justin Jefferson was superb; it was thrown to the back shoulder where only Jefferson could catch it and it was an excellent one-handed catch from the star wideout. The most important throw of the day was the 3rd-and-5 throw to Speedy Nailor to ice the game; it was a great call by coach O’Connell, a gutsy throw from McCarthy and Nailor did the rest. McCarthy is young and needs to play; every minute he’s on the field sees him get closer and closer to fulfilling his potential.

With the win taking their record to 4–4, this was a crucial game for the Vikings. Morale was dipping, the stories of how well Darnold and Jones are doing around the league were making fans wonder what we might have had as Carson Wentz was ruled out for the season. This was a must-win game and it was our best performance of the season. Up next, we face a healthier version of the Baltimore Ravens, who’ll provide another tough test of our run defense.

Let’s make a trade?

With the NFL trade deadline approaching on Tuesday evening, I would love to see us trade for a corner. That position is still a huge hole in the team and Flores has lost confidence in Jeff Okudah. Two great options would be Alontae Taylor from the Saints or Riq Woolen from the Seahawks. Or we could look at bringing in someone like Asante Samuel Jr, a free agent who has just been cleared to play after a serious injury, and look to trade for another position.

Do you want to have your say about an upcoming Vikings game? Is something really grinding your gears? You can have your say right here in Skol from the Sofa. Just drop us an email at UKVikingsFanClub@gmail.com or send us a DM on any of our social media channels.