Minnesota closed 2025 on a 5-game heater. Tampa Bay closed it on a 7-out-of-8 nosedive. Neither team made the playoffs, and this Week 4 trip to Raymond James Stadium is the first real measuring stick for both.
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SUN SEP 27 · 4:05 PM ET
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Vikings
Buccaneers
This one carries baggage on both sides. The Vikings missed the postseason at 9-8 despite that furious late run, and they're still not sure who's throwing the ball. J.J. McCarthy and Kyler Murray have been splitting first-team reps since minicamp with no starter named, and coach Kevin O'Connell has said the competition rolls into training camp. The Buccaneers, meanwhile, watched a 6-2 start evaporate into an 8-9 finish and a tiebreaker loss to Carolina for the NFC South, and Baker Mayfield is walking into a contract year with zero traction on an extension.
Whoever wins the Minnesota job inherits a roster that's actually deep. Justin Jefferson is still Justin Jefferson, and the backfield gets a real jolt with Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason both healthy and rookie Demond Claiborne in the mix. Up front, Christian Darrisaw is reportedly moving well off the injury that wrecked his last stretch, which matters a lot if this camp battle turns into a real quarterback taking real hits. Tampa Bay's counter is its receiver room — Chris Godwin, Emeka Egbuka and rookie third-rounder Ted Hurst give Mayfield a group as deep as almost anyone's, if he's the one throwing to them long-term.
The Mayfield situation looms over everything in Tampa. He's said talks have stalled and that if a deal isn't done by camp, it's not getting done until after the season — the kind of storyline that can either galvanize a locker room or hang over it all year. Add in Bucky Irving working back from a shoulder issue, and this is a team trying to answer a lot of questions about a group that looked like a contender at 6-2 and finished like one of the league's most disappointing outfits.
Minnesota Vikings
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Fully healthy — no injuries to report
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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Fully healthy — no injuries to report
Minnesota's issue isn't depth, it's clarity. Two quarterbacks splitting reps all spring and into camp is manageable in June; it gets a lot less comfortable once the games count. Still, this is a roster that just won 5 straight to close a season, with a top-tier receiver and a suddenly crowded, competent backfield — the pieces are better than the quarterback situation suggests.
Minnesota Vikings
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Zoom out and this is a game between two teams that know exactly how good they can look and exactly how quickly it can fall apart. Minnesota proved late last year it can win with defense and a functional run game covering for shaky quarterback play. Tampa Bay proved the opposite is true too — that a fast start means nothing if the wheels come off in November. By the time these two actually kick off, one team should have real answers at quarterback. The other just needs Mayfield locked in and the receiver room humming.
