The NFL regular season is over following the Seattle Seahawks' lopsided 29-13 victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX. While the Chicago Bears didn't get the final result they wanted, the Seahawks win gave them a reason to chuckle. The Minnesota Vikings let two valuable members of the team leave town, where they joined Seattle and played a huge role in the Super Bowl title.
Quarterback Sam Darnold and offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak were driving forces in this championship. Yet the fact that neither is in Minnesota has to feel good for Bears fans.
Seahawks SB Win Gives Bears Another Reason to Troll Vikings
The Vikings had Darnold in their building for the 2024 season and enjoyed tremendous success with him under center. He led them to a 14-3 record while racking up 4,319 passing yards and 35 passing touchdowns. Despite the success, the season ended with a 27-9 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the wild-card round.
Instead of retaining the quarterback who had a ton of success for them, they let Darnold walk in free agency and rolled the dice on J.J. McCarthy, who was the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft. That didn't work out in their favor, as McCarthy completed only 57 percent of his throws for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions.
The former University of Michigan standout was never comfortable under center and missed several games due to injuries. Now the Vikings enter the offseason with a massive question mark at the most important position on the field. The Kubiak loss still hurts, but it isn't as bad given the Vikings have Kevin O'Connell running the show.
Kubiak was a part of Mike Zimmer's staff that was let go following the 2021 season. Following his stint with the Vikings, Kubiak spent time with the Broncos, 49ers, and Saints before joining the Seahawks. And now, he'll be the Las Vegas Raiders' next head coach.
For a Bears team whose duo of Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson is just scratching the surface of what they are capable of, having your rival face questions like these is a massive win. Given the poor optics around Minnesota, Bears fans can't help but laugh at the development.
The Vikings had to watch two former employees reach the pinnacle of the football world with another team. That can't feel good for them or their fans in any way, shape, or form. However, the people in the Windy City are undoubtedly grinning. This is just another reason to dump on a rival and will be a talking point around the Vikings for months to come.