In the NFL, 16 teams get to finish their regular seasons with a win (since 2002 when the league expanded to 32 teams). Those that reach the postseason – 14 of them to be exact (since 2020) – battle it out for the opportunity to end their season with the ultimate victory.

While the Minnesota Vikings will miss the postseason for the second time in three seasons, they finished the year in strong fashion. On Sunday, Minnesota defeated Green Bay 16-3; not only did the Vikings bookend a decade of games at U.S. Bank Stadium with a Border Battle victory over the Packers (the opponent in the venue's inaugural game), they closed the season on a five-game winning streak to finish the year with a 9-8 record.

This season marks just the second time in franchise history the Vikings have ended the regular season with at least five consecutive victories, with the other coming in 1998 (Minnesota won eight consecutive contests to finish with a franchise-record 15 victories within a season).

Although a team experiencing a late-season hot streak is nothing new, only 11 NFL teams since 2020 have concluded their regular-season schedules with a win streak of five-plus games. The Vikings were one of four teams this season to finish the year on a heater, joining the Seahawks (seven consecutive wins), Jaguars (eight consecutive) and Texans (nine consecutive).

The full list is below:

– 2020 Packers (6 games; 13-3)

– 2020 Bills (6 games; 13-3)

– 2020 Ravens (5 games; 11-5)

– 2022 49ers (10 games; 13-4)

– 2022 Chiefs (5 games; 14-3)

– 2022 Bills (7 games; 13-3, Week 17 game against Cincinnati was canceled)

– 2022 Bengals (8 games; 12-4, Week 17 game against Buffalo was canceled)

– 2022 Jaguars (5 games; 9-8)

– 2023 Bills (5 games; 11-6)

– 2024 Bengals (5 games; 9-8)

– 2024 Commanders (5 games; 12-5)

– 2025 Vikings (5 games; 9-8)

– 2025 Seahawks (7 games; 14-3)

– 2025 Jaguars (8 games; 13-4)

– 2025 Texans (9 games; 12-5)

Additionally, the Vikings have recorded a win streak of five games or more in each of Kevin O'Connell's first four seasons as a head coach. According to NFL Media Research, that ties former St. Louis Rams Head Coach Mike Martz for the second-longest such streak to start a coaching career and it is the longest active streak in the league. Martz accomplished the feat with the Rams from 2000-2003.

Minnesota's finishing surge also caused some movement in the final Power Rankings of the 2025 season. Here's a look at where the Vikings landed:

No. 16 (no change): Eric Edholm, NFL.com

J.J. McCarthy started Sunday's finale and was playing well against a Green Bay team resting most of its key players, but McCarthy left in the third quarter after appearing to aggravate his throwing-hand injury that caused him to miss Week 17's game. That injury in and of itself is not the story. It will heal over the coming months, just like the other injuries McCarthy has suffered over the past couple years. But the long-term questions about his constitution won't let up until he gets through a season relatively unscathed, and how much can Minnesota really trust him as the sole protector of the position? They finished the season 9-8 with a five-game win streak, so there's evidence to suggest the Vikings could be in contention a year from now, even with the questions at QB and the possibility of [Defensive Coordinator] Brian Flores leaving. How Minnesota approaches the offseason will be fascinating and telling.

No. 16 (no change): Josh Kendall, The Athletic

J.J. McCarthy took himself out of Sunday's game due to a hand injury. Like everything else about McCarthy, it's sure to start a conversation about the second-year quarterback. McCarthy has played only 10 games in his career. He improved to 6-4 in those games, but he finished the season 38th among quarterbacks in EPA per dropback (minus-0.14). The Vikings don't have any other obvious answers at the position, but they need some.

No. 15 (up 1 spot): Frank Schwab, Yahoo! Sports

Winning five in a row to end the season is a positive and also a reminder of what might have been, had Minnesota's quarterback play been even average. The Vikings approach at quarterback will be watched closely. Perhaps just as important will be if Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores returns. He should get some head-coaching interviews, and he could conceivably leave as a coordinator elsewhere since his contract is up.

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