Minnesota has a playoff-caliber roster, but a brutal NFC North could make the Vikings’ path to the postseason difficult.
The Minnesota Vikings have a real chance to be truly competitive this season, especially with a veteran quarterback now at the helm.
If Kyler Murray can stay healthy and give this team some consistency, there’s no question Minnesota could finish above .500. The Vikings went 9-8 last season despite inconsistent quarterback play and injuries across the roster, then closed the year on a five-game winning streak.
There’s plenty of reason to believe Minnesota can be even better in 2026. The problem is that being better might not be enough. The NFC North has a case to be the most competitive division in football, and the current odds make that clear, with the Vikings going up against the Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears.
Detroit is the favorite at +170, followed by Green Bay at +225 and Chicago at +305. Minnesota is all the way down at +510 despite coming off a winning season.
That’s because all three teams ahead of the Vikings have legitimate playoff aspirations. Detroit has a roster capable of competing for a Super Bowl. Green Bay has the pieces to make a deep postseason run. And Chicago took a massive step forward last season behind Caleb Williams and could once again finish several games above .500.
That leaves Minnesota with almost no margin for error. Even if Murray stabilizes the quarterback position and the Vikings take another step forward, winning the NFC North is going to be extremely difficult. Those are the teams they'll play more than anyone else, and each of those contests carries tremendous weight.
Finishing behind one of those teams doesn’t eliminate Minnesota from playoff contention, but the rest of the NFC creates another problem.
The Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys remain a threat in the NFC East, while the NFC West features the Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers. There are going to be quality teams that don’t win their respective divisions fighting for the same wild-card spots.
That’s what makes evaluating Minnesota this season so interesting. The Vikings can have a good year. They can improve from last season, win nine or 10 games and look like a playoff-caliber team for much of the season. But in this NFC, and especially in this NFC North, being a very good football team doesn’t necessarily mean making the playoffs. The Vikings may need to win 10 or 11 games to even be in the conversation.
