Every NFL season has good and bad roads it can take. More often than not, there is one key factor that can take a season to new heights, or make it all come crashing down.
CBS Sports’ Tyler Sullivan recently laid out the best and worst-case scenarios for every NFL team. When it came to the Vikings, it all centered around the play of Kyler Murray. He comes to Minnesota after being let go by the Arizona Cardinals this offseason, and he hopes for a fresh start.
Most importantly, they hope Murray can return to his old ways, showing he is worthy of being a top-paid player at his position. In terms of the best-case scenario for that, Sullivan writes that they can hope for a Sam Darnold-like run.
“The pressure of the quarterback battle produces a diamond. Either Kyler Murray is Sam Darnold 2.0, giving the Vikings a veteran capable of competing for an NFC North title, or J.J. McCarthy stabilizes and rises to the occasion to fend off Murray. Either way, the quarterback question is definitively answered, and Minnesota suddenly is back where it was in 2024, battling for the division crown and the No. 1 seed.”
If they can get Darnold-ish play, then the sky could be the limit for this team. There is a small Super Bowl window for this team, but it will all center around the play out of the quarterback position.
This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: What is the best case scenario for the Vikings season in 2026?
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