This time of year always makes me think about ghosts of the past, present and future, and a recent ESPN story about the upcoming 50-year anniversary of the Cowboys/Vikings Hail Mary/push-off got that thought process going a little earlier than usual.
Maybe it’s serendipity because it provided a framework to think about Vikings quarterbacks during a newsy week.
Let’s examine the past, present and future of that spot for Minnesota at the start of today’s 10 things to know.
- There is no shortage of candidates when talking about past Vikings QBs, but let’s focus on Kirk Cousins. After looking somewhere between mediocre and washed up filling in for Michael Penix Jr. during parts of this season, Cousins delivered a stirring comeback win on Thursday Night Football. He threw for 373 yards and three touchdowns in a 29-28 Falcons win over Tampa Bay. This is not by any means a regret that he’s not still with the Vikings. But it is a reminder that Cousins, 37, can still get hot.
- Also, any talk of past Vikings QBs should lead you to this poll on which former Vikings quarterback and Vikings head coach should be on the Star Tribune’s All-Quarter Century Team. I voted for Daunte Culpepper and Kevin O’Connell, but there are good arguments to be made for different choices.
- OK, back to the present. J.J. McCarthy had his most efficient game as a pro last week, completing 70% of his passes and throwing three TDs without a turnover in a romp over Washington. Dallas is a step up in overall class Sunday night, but the Cowboys are still a bad defense. McCarthy has a lot of work to do in these final four games of the regular season to show the Vikings how they should be thinking about QB in 2026.
- Some Vikings fans already have their heads in the clouds when thinking about the future. Bengals QB Joe Burrow gave a downtrodden interview this week. One key quote: “If I want to keep doing this, I have to have fun doing this. I have been through a lot. If it’s not fun, then what am I doing it for? That is the mindset I am trying to bring to the table.” Is Burrow pondering an early retirement? Does he want out of Cincinnati? Fans of several teams, including the Vikings, have started dreaming about the latter and hatching trade scenarios that would put him in purple.
- Burrow to the Vikings or anyone else is very unlikely. But that won’t stop QB-starved fan bases from speculating. For the Vikings, it underscores this reality: They need a better plan in 2026 than they had in 2025. After four important games for their future, this will be an interesting offseason.
- The Vikings are in Year 4 of a competitive rebuild. Are the Twins trying to do the same thing? Bobby Nightengale had plenty of insights into the Twins’ plan during his Friday appearance on the Daily Delivery podcast.
- The Wild are very good against good teams and mediocre against bad teams. The positive part of that trend continued Thursday with a 5-2 win over Dallas.
- The Wolves have been the opposite this year, often taking care of business against soft teams while struggling against better teams. Can they win Friday night at Golden State with Steph Curry slated to return?
- Tommies vs. Johnnies used to be a big deal in a lot of sports. Thursday night was a good bit of nostalgia, Jim Souhan writes.
- The Gophers volleyball season ended in a sweep, but their first trip to the Sweet 16 since 2022 is a mark of success.
