The Minnesota Vikings are coming off a season where they were one of the best teams in the NFC. They didn't win their division, but they missed out on it by just one game after losing their season finale to the Lions in a one-sided beatdown. Despite that result, the team seemingly dusted themselves, re-tooled at key positions, and are now ready to compete.
Or are they?
In 2024, the Chicago Bears were expected to take a major step forward after winning the offseason. Newsflash: they didn't. In fact, they arguably took a half a step forward, not even a full one, but it has motivated them to come out of gates this offseason. General manager Ryan Poles made a change at head coach and brought in Ben Johnson, who helped change the Lions unit into one of the best in the league. Next, he got his franchise quarterback and two new starting offensive linemen by trading for them for pennies on the dollar in terms of return on investment. All the while, the team boasts a returning D.J. Moore and Rome Odunze to their offense, which also has the 10th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
This brings me to my point. On paper, the Lions and Packers didn't get worse, the Vikings stayed relatively level, and the Bears got better once again. Something has to give. What will it be?
The Vikings cannot guarantee themselves two wins over the Packers and Bears like they did in 2024. Yes, the roster has gotten upgrades at key positions on both sides of the ball. The Vikings need to keep up with the Bears now, though that wasn't always the case.
2025 is going to be a big year for the Vikings. They cannot be left in the mud of the NFC North, but they could be.
This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: Will the Vikings be able to keep up with the rest of the NFC North?
