A Game-By-Game Look At The Vikings Regular Season Schedule
The NFL season is finally here. It feels like it took forever, especially for Vikings fans with the team playing an extra preseason game.
And fans will have to wait just a little longer for the first meaningful game of the season. The NFL season starts officially Thursday night as the Patriots face the Steelers. Most games are played Sunday, but the Vikings have to wait until Monday night at San Francisco to kick off their regular season.
It's a late kickoff, scheduled for about 9:20 p.m. local time, which means many of us will need an extra cup of coffee before we head to work Tuesday morning. But a Vikings victory would make the late night worth it.
So it begs the question, how will the Vikings do this season? Will they be a playoff team? How good can this team be and how many games will they win? Here is a look at the season ahead on a game-by-game basis.
Week 1: At San Francisco
The Vikings have a great opportunity to get off to a winning start, but they'll have to do it at San Francisco on Monday Night Football. The 49ers have a new head coach and had several players either depart or retire in the offseason. There are holes on their defense, but San Francisco still has plenty of weapons on offense that will challenge the Vikings' defense. The key for the defense will be containing mobile quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
Adrian Peterson will be on a mission in his first game back after last season's suspension. The Vikings come away with a close win, 24-21.
Week 2: Vs. Detroit
The Vikings return home to face the Detroit Lions, and their defense will need to be good against the combination of Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson. The Vikings have historically played well against the Lions at home, but are looking for some revenge after losing twice to Detroit last year. It should be another close game, but the Vikings get the win to improve to 2-0.
Week 3: Vs. San Diego
Building off the early momentum, the Vikings host the San Diego Chargers in Week 3. Their defense will have to contain Philip Rivers and his likely targets in Malcolm Floyd, Keenan Allen and Antonio Gates. It's a great chance to go 3-0 entering an incredibly tough stretch of three road games in four weeks. The Vikings offense will wear out the San Diego defense on the way to a victory.
Week 4: At Denver
This is very likely the Vikings first loss of the season. The Broncos have Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning, and the Vikings tend to struggle defensively against elite quarterbacks on the road. Minnesota's offense will need long drives to keep Manning off the field and the game close, but the Broncos have too much talent. A 3-1 start after four games for the Vikings is nothing to hang your head about.
Week 6: Vs. Kansas City
The Vikings return home off the bye week and have a good chance to go 4-1 against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Vikings will be challenged by a solid Kansas City defense, but the Chiefs don't have a lot of offensive firepower other than Jamaal Charles. If the Vikings defense can put pressure on Alex Smith and the offense can make some big plays, they'll come away with a victory.
Week 7: At Detroit
The Vikings struggle on the road in general and never seem to play well for whatever reason in Detroit. Calvin Johnson loves to play the Vikings at Ford Field, and there are few defensive players in the NFL who can contain him. He's a huge receiver and catches virtually anything thrown in his vicinity. Matthew Stafford will give the Vikings defense a big test, and he'll make just enough plays to split the season. A close loss puts the Vikings at 4-2 through seven weeks, still nothing to be concerned about.
Week 8: At Chicago
Minnesota never, and I mean almost never, plays well against the Bears in Chicago. Road teams struggle on the long, thick grass field at Soldier Field. Jay Cutler seems to find a way to make plays against the Vikings, and Matt Forte will present problems in both the run and pass game. It's another close game, but it's one the Bears win and the Vikings fall to 4-3.
Week 9: Vs. St. Louis
The Vikings have a great shot at a bounce back victory in Week 9, hosting the St. Louis Rams. Nick Foles replaces Sam Bradford at quarterback, and the Rams have several unknowns on their offense entering the season. They'll need big games out of Kenny Britt and Tavon Austin, but the Vikings defense will be up to the challenge. Minnesota gets a 10-point win to improve to 5-3.
Week 10: At Oakland
The Vikings have a great opportunity for a Week 10 victory at Oakland, a team that entered the season a mess in turmoil. There's a quarterback battle between Derek Carr and former Viking Christian Ponder. Amari Cooper is a rookie receiver and Michael Crabtree hasn't lived up to the hype. It's a game that if the Vikings run the football and play their style of defense, they should have no issues coming out with a win to improve to 6-3.
Week 11: Vs. Green Bay
The Vikings have to wait a long time to get their first defensive test against Aaron Rodgers in Week 11 as the hated Packers visit TCF Bank Stadium. He'll get his numbers, even without Jordy Nelson, so it'll be up to the defense to contain the Packers' remaining offensive firepower and Teddy Bridgewater to move the ball down the field. The best Vikings defense that game may be Rodgers standing on the sideline. It may come down to a Blair Walsh field goal, but the Vikings find a way to escape with a close victory in front of a raucous home crowd.
Week 12: At Atlanta
Week 12 at Atlanta marks the start of a rough three-game stretch for the Vikings. The defense will need its best game of the season to stop Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, Roddy White and a host of other weapons the Falcons feature. The Vikings will struggle on the road against a fast and athletic Atlanta defense. The Vikings fall to 7-4 in a loss.
Week 13: Vs. Seattle
Things don't get any easier being at home as the Vikings host Seattle in Week 14. Russell Wilson has a new contract with the Seahawks, an elite running back in Marshawn Lynch, one the games top tight ends in Jimmy Graham and one of the best defenses in the NFL. The Vikings will struggle to do much of anything against the Seahawks and will fall to 7-5 on the season.
Week 14: At Arizona
If the Vikings want to be a legitimate playoff contender, their Week 14 game at Arizona is one they need to win. The Cardinals have a highly-paid but largely unproven quarterback in Carson Palmer. They have two Minnesota natives at wide receiver in Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Floyd. Andre Ellington is a middle of the pack running back. The Cardinals will go this season as far as their defense takes them. It'll be a close game that could get ugly execution-wise, but the Vikings escape with a close victory and improve to 8-5 with three games left.
Week 15: Vs. Chicago
Knowing a postseason chance is at stake, it'll be a huge NFC North game in Week 15 as the Vikings host the Bears. They'll be looking for revenge after the Week 8 loss. It'll be a defensive struggle, but Adrian Peterson and Teddy Bridgewater will find a way to lead the Vikings to a crucial victory.
Week 16: Vs. New York Giants
With a regular season finale at the rival Packers the following week, it's imperative for the Vikings to beat the New York Giants in their regular season home finale. The Vikings' defense will need to force Eli Manning into a bad game, and Bridgewater will need to have a good game against a stiff Giants defense. The Vikings get the big win, but it won't be pretty and it will be close.
Week 17: At Green Bay
The Vikings regular season finale at the rival Packers largely depends on if the Vikings need a win to clinch a playoff spot and if Green Bay already has. The Packers could rest some of their starters if they meet their lofty early expectations and have home field advantage for the playoffs by Week 17. But they also want to beat their rivals just as much as the Vikings want to hand them a loss. It's nearly impossible to beat Green Bay at Lambeau Field, and Minnesota loses a close one to finish the regular season 10-6.
Will that be enough to make the playoffs? We'll only find out in time, but 10 wins likely won't be enough for an NFC North division title. If it's not enough for a playoff spot, a 10-6 season would be an improvement from last year's 7-9 mark and at the very least something to build from.