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The Minnesota Vikings have been unexpectedly included in a list of teams that could reach Super Bowl LXI, following a similar path as last year's Seattle Seahawks. Analysts suggest strong defense and effective leadership from coach Kevin O'Connell as key factors.
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The Seattle Seahawks werenāt supposed to sprint to the Super Bowl last year, and they especially werenāt supposed to win the whole thing. But they did ā and now NFL.com has sized up five squads that could replicate that path. Wouldnāt you know it? The Vikings are among them.
Minnesotaās path is obvious: defend like crazy, get enough from Kyler Murray, and let Kevin OāConnell steer it.
Thatās the word from Tom Blair, who claimed last week that the Vikings could follow a Seattle-like path to Super Bowl LXI.
Would you be stunned if Minnesota morphed into a real contender?

The Vikings are seen as a surprise contender due to their potential to replicate the Seattle Seahawks' unexpected success from last year, focusing on strong defense and effective coaching.
Key factors include a strong defensive strategy, contributions from quarterback Kyler Murray, and guidance from head coach Kevin O'Connell.
The prediction about the Vikings' potential to reach the Super Bowl was made by analyst Tom Blair.
The Seahawks were not expected to reach the Super Bowl last year but ended up winning it, which serves as a model for the Vikings' potential success.

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Minnesota Vikings running back Jordan Mason powers through the defense during second-half action against the Washington Commanders, keeping his legs churning on Dec 7, 2025, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, as the Vikings leaned on their ground game at U.S. Bank Stadium in a late-season NFC matchup. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images.
Blair on the Vikings as a Super Bowl Dark Horse
Blair named five teams that could follow in Seattleās footsteps: the Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Houston Texans, Los Angeles Chargers ā and the Vikings.
On Minnesota, he explained, āDo they have a Dark Side? Brian Floresā famously formidable defense was as effective as ever in 2025, ranking seventh in EPA per play (-0.14) and points allowed per game (19.6) and third in yards allowed per play (4.7), but the offense could not keep up, with a season-long point differential of plus-11 matching perfectly with Minnesotaās 9-8 finish.ā
āLike the Texans, the Vikings have a defense that could drive true dominance, with just a little more support from the offense. Like Seattle, Minnesota has been fitfully competitive over the past few years. The Vikings have plenty of talent, and I have confidence in the coaching regime.ā
The Vikingsā defense also added four new rookies in the first three rounds of the draft last month.
Blair added, āIf they were also working with the same level of front-office stability that the Seahawks have enjoyed under Schneider, Iād feel better about giving them the top spot.ā
āWhoever takes over as full-time GM might knock the job out of the park, but the late-January firing of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah brings some uncertainty to the team-building portion of the equation.ā
The Defense Checks the Big Box
Looking for reasons to agree with NFL.com? Look no further than the Vikingsā defense, led by Flores. Floresās men ranked third in the NFL per defensive DVOA in 2025, fully hitting their groove in December and January ā when it should have mattered the most ā and propelling Minnesota to a five-game win streak to close out the season on a high note.
In fact, since Flores arrived in the Twin Cities three years ago, he has fostered the leagueās second-best defense per EPA/Play, only trailing the Cleveland Browns, a club that somehow has featured great defense with nothing tangible to show for it.

Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Jalen Redmond wraps up Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott during first-half action, finishing the play with pressure on Dec 14, 2025, in Arlington, Texas, as the Vikings defense looked to disrupt Dallasā rhythm at AT&T Stadium in a physical interconference matchup. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images.
Minnesotaās defense has checked all boxes as a Super Bowl contender ā going on four seasons now ā so itās all up to head coach Kevin OāConnell and the offense, which, should, in theory, be OāConnellās personal baby.
Wait and See at QB
On the offense, well, the Vikingsā quarterback play must improve in 2026. Finishing 9-8 a year ago, Minnesota showcased the NFLās fifth-worst dropback EPA, a short way of saying the quarterback production stunk compared to the Vikingsā NFL peers. Winning nine games with the fifth-worst quarterback efficiency isnāt a normal outcome. Therefore, the sky could be the limit if Minnesota showcases average-or-better quarterback play in 2026.
Insert Kyler Murray.
Minnesota scooped Murray from free agency for just over a million bucks, and heās in town to make the Arizona Cardinals look bad. Comically, the Cardinals are paying Murray to play for the Vikings. Itās how Minnesota got away with such a dinky contract. Murray has been compensated for 2026 based on the guaranteed money from his 2022 contract extension.
OāConnell either needs Murray to produce decent numbers or rip the lid off and go full Pro Bowl-caliber. If he achieves the latter, Murray can indeed lead the Vikings deep into the postseason.
Run the Football?
Meanwhile, OāConnell must run the football. Remember the five-game win streak in December? That happened because OāConnell got the memo about running the football. When quarterbacks struggle, a smart playcaller cannot load up and throw the rock 40 times per game. Itās a recipe for utter disaster ā Minnesota started 2025 with a 4-8 record, remember?

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin OāConnell watches pregame warmups and connects with players on the field before kickoff against the Baltimore Ravens on Nov 9, 2025, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, as the team prepared for a midseason home contest at U.S. Bank Stadium during the 2025 campaign. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images.
So, OāConnell must commit to his rushing offense, and even more than last year, when his team ranked 19th per rush playcall percentage. Nineteenth was a step in the right direction for OāConnell ā Minnesota ranked 30th in the same metric in 2022 and 2023 ā but now that percentage ranking must enter the top half of the league.
If the Vikings play their usual level of defense, empower Murray to play like prime Murray, and run the football, thereās no doubt theyāll reach the playoffs and bring to life Blairās dark horse Super Bowl contendership talker. Itās actually pretty simple.