There were plenty of things that didn’t go the Minnesota Vikings’ way in 2025. From injuries to uneven quarterback play, it’s a small miracle they won nine games. While 2026 doesn’t promise better results, there are still two key stats that will almost certainly improve.
In 2024, Minnesota led the league in takeaways, including a blistering 24 interceptions. But despite running things back with nearly identical personnel on defense, that number plummeted to just eight interceptions in 2025. While the Vikings pressured the quarterback 28.1% of the time, good enough for third in the NFL, the defense didn’t generate turnovers.
The good news is that Minnesota’s woes aren’t all chalked up to issues with skill. Plenty of interceptions in the NFL are luck-based and result from tipped passes, third-down arm punts, or playing against a quarterback with a strange alter-ego and accuracy issues.
The Vikings snagged two interceptions against the woeful Cincinnati Bengals last year, and then went over a month without another one. Although Minnesota’s secondary was arguably worse with the loss of Cam Bynum, it’s not like it rolled out the New York Jets’ defense that inexplicably recorded zero interceptions on the season.
So, was it due in part to a secondary that wasn’t on the same level as the one from a year prior, or that balls weren’t bouncing Minnesota’s way? Whatever combination of those two it was, it’s unlikely that 2026 will have similar turnover droughts throughout the season.
With Brian Flores returning, the Vikings will create pressure again. So, even if the secondary regresses with the potential loss of Harrison Smith and general instability among cornerbacks from year to year, there’s still reason to believe Minnesota will have more interceptions next season.
Although the Vikings are unlikely to eclipse their 24 picks from 2024, they are still due to regress. Murphy led the NFL with six interceptions in 2024, and then dropped to just two in a down season this year. In all likelihood, he’ll jump back up slightly and land somewhere in the middle of those two numbers this upcoming season. A healthy Andrew Van Ginkel is usually good for one or two “Gink-Sixes,” and even though the Bengals aren’t on the schedule, Isaiah Rodgers can find a new team to pick on.
Frankly, Minnesota’s eight picks in 2025 are so egregiously low for a Flores-led defense that if the Vikings don’t get double-digit interceptions this season, something has gone terribly wrong.
On the other side of the ball is another statistic where the Vikings were so spectacularly bad that it will almost be impossible not to improve. The Minnesota Moving Company was moving alright, but it wasn’t defensive linemen to the ground; it was themselves to the blue medical tent. Minnesota’s struggles along the offensive line can largely be attributed to injuries, and they are unlikely to allow 60 again like they did last year.
Only three other teams gave up more sacks than Minnesota. If J.J. McCarthy – or whoever ends up quarterbacking the Vikings – wants to finish a full season, they absolutely must see major improvement from last year’s disaster class. 11.03% of pass plays ended in a sack for the Vikings, their worst rate since 1968. While some blame may fall on the shoulders of a young quarterback, Minnesota’s issues keeping its starting linemen on the field were the real problem.
Christian Darrisaw, Donovan Jackson, Ryan Kelly, and Brian O’Neill all missed multiple games last year, and the odds of that happening again are low. The five expected starters ahead of the season only ended up playing 83 total snaps together, and while there are still questions at center heading into this season, it’s hard to imagine things can get worse than that. Will Fries, the free-agent guard who was still coming back from a broken leg, was the only lineman to play all 17 games for Minnesota.
The excitement surrounding the recently revamped offensive line might be dampened. Still, even a marginal improvement would do wonders for an offense that struggled mightily this past season. The injury bug won’t hit Minnesota as hard this year. Meanwhile, Donovan Jackson’s development would go a long way after the rookie allowed 26 pressures in his first year in purple.
The Vikings have issues to work out this offseason. With salary cap issues, questions at quarterback, and myriad other things to work through, there’s no guarantee that 2026 will be any better. Still, some things are near certainties, like Minnesota snagging more interceptions and allowing fewer sacks — if only because it would be almost impossible to be worse. There’s only one way to go from rock bottom.
