The moment everything unraveled for the 2025-26 Vikings

Who knows what might've been had the Vikings not been hit so hard by injuries in the first eight quarters of the season.

Sep 14, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) runs the ball during the second half against the Atlanta Falcons at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Five straight wins probably made the Vikings feel pretty good in an otherwise lost season, but those wins mean they'll be picking 18th in the 2026 NFL Draft rather than landing a top-10 pick and a better chance to find a game-changing player.

The win streak, which wasn't pretty at times, was a reflection of the team many thought the Vikings would be after last season's team won 14 games, and the front office addressed issues in the trenches by shoveling cash to proven talents like Ryan Kelly, Will Fries, Jonathan Allen, and Javon Hargrave. So, where did the Vikings go wrong? What was the defining moment that spelled trouble for the purple?

Of all the obstacles the Vikings faced, nothing was more devastating than the rash of injuries they suffered in the first two weeks of the season. They were already without left tackle Christian Darrisaw, safety Harrison Smith, and wide receiver Jordan Addison when they lost linebackers Blake Cashman and Andrew Van Ginkel in Week 1, and then quarterback J.J. McCarthy, center Ryan Kelly, and running back Aaron Jones in Week 2.

Do you remember what happened?

After a come-from-behind win over the Bears in the season opener, the Vikings revealed that Cashman suffered a hamstring injury and Van Ginkel endured a concussion. The hammy would keep Cashman out of the lineup until Week 7, while Van Ginkel would return in Week 3, only to play eigth snaps before a neck injury kept him sidelined until Week 9.

In Week 2, the offense laid an egg against the Falcons. McCarthy was terrible before suffering a high ankle sprain late in the third quarter. Minnesota also lost Kelly to the first of three concussions he would suffer over the course of the season.

McCarthy wound up missing the next five games, setting the Vikings back at the most important position in the game. Kelly missed the game in Week 3 only to return in Week 4 and suffer his second concussion of the season. He didn't play again until Week 12.

Losing the center and starting quarterback for long stretches proved disastrous. Kelly's absence weakened the line and put pressure on those around him, and the issues snowballed when Donovan Jackson (wrist), Darrisaw (knee), and Brian O'Neill (knee/heel) were banged up.

Recalling all of of the health and availability challenges

Minnesota was already without Darrisaw, their star left tackle, for the first two weeks of the season. He was never 100% in his first season back from an ACL repair, and the Vikings wound up shutting him down in late December.

The Vikings were also without veteran safety Harrison Smith for the first two weeks as he recovered from an illness that knocked him out of most of training camp and the preseason.

Does anyone really even remember how Rondale Moore, who was brought in to compete with Jalen Nailor for WR3/4, suffered a season-ending knee injury on the opening kickoff of the first preseason game? That set the Vikings back, especially since Jordan Addison was suspended for three games to begin the season.

We haven't even mentioned how quarterback Carson Wentz was playing through significant pain for weeks until it became too much, ending his season after the Thursday night blowout loss to the Chargers.

Even edge rusher Jonathan Greenard played through a painful shoulder injury for weeks until the Vikings shut him down in December so he could have surgery and begin preparing for 2026. The same thing can be said for safety Josh Metellus, who wound up being placed on IR to get his shoulder fixed.

The 2025 season was extremely hard on the Vikings, and getting hit with so many injuries in the first eight quarters of the season set the tone for the final 16 weeks. Had they avoided so many injuries, who knows what might've happened?