Kissing Goodbye to the 2025 Minnesota Vikings

 

Kissing Goodbye to the 2025 Minnesota Vikings

Todd Swank's Diary Entry for January 11, 2026

Last Sunday we made it to the Vikings–Packers finale, usually one of the hottest tickets in town, just not this year. The Vikings were already eliminated, the Packers were resting everyone with a pulse, and the playoff drama had officially left the building. We weren’t chasing hope, just maybe a little clarity on whether J.J. McCarthy is our quarterback of the future… or just another chapter in the ongoing Minnesota experiment.

I love going to games with my best girl, Miss Sheri. We’ve been Vikings fans together for 34 years, and there’s still nobody I’d rather suffer with on a Sunday afternoon. She’s sweet, loyal, and occasionally so vocal when things go sideways that I find myself quietly apologizing to the parents of nearby small children. Wouldn’t change a thing.

One genuinely cool moment was watching Justin Jefferson quietly make history. He hit 1,000 yards again, his sixth straight season, which only two other humans in NFL history have ever pulled off. Casual greatness, no drama, just doing impossible things while we all pretend we’re not spoiled having him on this team.

This was the J.J. McCarthy taunting play, which honestly was nice to see. A little edge, a little fire, a reminder he’s not just out there politely getting hit. Still a big question mark if he’s our guy next year, and an even bigger one if he can stay healthy, but there were flashes that made you pause. Vikings win it 16–3, and once again we head into the offseason doing what we do best… convincing ourselves that next year will definitely be the one.

On Tuesday I hopped a plane to Denver for three nights and three meetings, kicking off the new year on a high note. Three great customer conversations, a little thin air, and me out there proudly representing Oracle Cloud Infrastructure in the Mile High City.

This image is AI, but it’s pretty close to what I ran into that night. I left the hotel for dinner in a city I don’t know, and a couple miles in my phone suddenly died. That’s when I realized my charging cable was still back in the room. You don’t realize how dependent you are on your phone, especially for maps, until it’s gone. I went searching for a gas station, took a wrong turn in a construction zone, and ended up face-to-face with a concrete barrier, plus a couple cars that followed me in. I waved everyone backward, reset, and went looking for help… wondering how this all went sideways so fast.

Jeff and Jeff are two of our cloud engineering leaders, and they’re the secret weapon when it comes to convincing CIOs we’re the best AI cloud infrastructure out there. When you can back big claims with deep technical chops and real answers, the conversation changes fast, and I’m lucky to have guys like this in my corner.

This is pretty much my job in a nutshell: earn the meeting, make the case for why Oracle Cloud Infrastructure is the best out there, then say thank you over a really good meal. I get to talk tech, build real relationships, and spend time with smart people who don’t owe me anything. No wonder I’m gaining weight, but honestly, I’m grateful this is how I get to spend my days.