Winning five games in a row to finish the 2025 season above .500 was a quintessential Minnesota Vikings thing. Losing out would have been best in terms of earning the best possible first-round pick in April, but even losing more of those final five than they won would have sufficed on that front.
Going 9-8 was no thanks to an offense that was mostly not functional all season. Brian Flores' defense was top-10 in points allowed and top-five in total yards allowed, along with being the second-best pass defense in the league.
After some questions about whether he would be returning for the 2026 season or not, Flores is indeed back to run the Vikings' defense for at least one more year.