The Minnesota Vikings have reached their bye week with a 3-2 record. The 2025 NFL season has not been kind to the purple and gold, with the team struggling to find its offensive identity and injuries piling up on the team.
This is a great opportunity for the Vikings to get healthy and prepare for a brutal gauntlet of games when they return to action in Week 7 against the World Champion Philadelphia Eagles at U.S. Bank Stadium.
However, Minnesota will need to get its grey ducks in a row if they hope to compete with the Eagles, despite Philadelphia coming off back-to-back losses to the Denver Broncos and New York Giants the last two weeks.
Let's take a look at three Vikings players who have thrived in the first five games and two players who have been disappointing thus far.
Which Minnesota Vikings players have thrived and which have struggled in the team's first five games?
Vikings Winner No. 1
Isaiah Rodgers - CB
The Minnesota Vikings were busy in free agency this offseason, and one of their top priorities was signing former Eagles cornerback Isaiah Rodgers.
Although Rodgers didn't have a reputation for being an established defender before arriving in Minneapolis, he has worked his way into the discussion of being a shutdown corner for defensive coordinator Brian Flores.
Vikings Loser No. 1
J.J. McCarthy - QB
The questions as well as the expectations surrounding quarterback J.J. McCarthy are still unanswered through the bye week. So far, he has been unimpressive, except when he led the Vikings to a comeback win against the Bears in Week 1.
If he is healthy, he could return to the lineup and have the opportunity to prove that he's more of an answer than a question.
Vikings Winner No. 2
Justin Jefferson - WR
Is Justin Jefferson quarterback-proof? It doesn't matter who is behind center for Minnesota because he has caught 29 passes for 449 yards through five weeks.
The only knock on him is that it would be awesome if he could improve on his one receiving touchdown, but there is a reason he is often called the best pass-catcher in the league.
Vikings Loser No. 2
Adam Thielen - WR
With Jordan Addison suspended for four games and the season-ending injury to Rondale Moore, the Vikings sent draft picks to Carolina to acquire Adam Thielen and are paying him a healthy sum to catch passes in Minnesota.
However, he has only caught four passes for 37 yards this season. In hindsight, this trade did not age well for the purple and gold.
Vikings Winner No. 3
Jalen Redmond - DL
It's funny how the Minnesota Vikings invested so heavily in the defensive line only to have the backups step up hugely. Jalen Redmond, Levi Drake Rodriguez, and Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins have all looked great, but Redmond leads the team in sacks (3) and four total tackles for a loss.
The former XFL standout is earning a big role for the purple and gold.