If you’re inclined to take a trip or two to see the Minnesota Vikings on the road, last year’s schedule was a step back from their 2021 road slate. Two years ago, the Vikings kicked things off with a trip to Cincinnati to see Joe Burrow and Co., then traveled to Charlotte, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Even the Baltimore game was fun, given it was in primetime against Lamar Jackson.
Fortunately, this year is a little more exciting. You can travel to see the Vikings enact revenge on the Philadelphia Eagles or see them try to avenge their 2021 loss to Burrow in Cincy. Maybe you’d prefer a trip to Denver, Charlotte, or Vegas? They’re also on the schedule. Prefer to stay home? You can see Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert at US Bank Stadium. The San Francisco 49ers and New Orleans Saints also will be making a stop in downtown Minneapolis. It’s a fun schedule!
Last year, the best road games were early in the season. However, the Eagles trounced the Vikings on Monday night in Week 2, and they almost lost to New Orleans in London. Remember, Andy Dalton started that game, and Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas were out. Miami would have been a great game in the winter, but it was sweltering there in October. Fortunately, the Bills game turned out to be an all-timer.
Of course, the thing that matters most is how tough the schedule will be. The 2021 schedule was deceptive. The Cincinnati Bengals looked like an easy Week 1 road opponent, and the Vikings should have won that game. But Cincinnati won 10 games and played in the Super Bowl that year. Arizona started 7-0 but lost four of their last five games, finished 11-6, and lost in the first round of the playoffs. Regardless, it’s easy to see how the Vikings started 0-2 that year.
Conversely, Minnesota’s 23-7 win over the Green Bay Packers was a false indication of how good the Vikings were last year. But so was the 24-7 loss in Philly. If anything, we learned that Green Bay defensive coordinator Joe Barry might be in over his head, and Nick Sirianni was a better coach than we thought. However, the near loss to the Detroit Lions and Saints and Minnesota’s inability to put the Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins away told us everything we needed to know about last year’s team by the bye week.
The Vikings face stiff competition this year
All this is to say that we know everything and nothing right now. We know who the Vikings will play, and we have a pretty firm idea of how good those teams are. But we don’t know the order, and things change rapidly in the NFL.
Here’s how it breaks down:
Home
- Three games against each NFC North team
- Two games against the AFC West (Kansas City Chiefs, Chargers)
- Two games against the NFC South (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New Orleans)
- One game against the NFC West team that also finished in first place in 2022 (San Francisco)
Away
- Three games against each NFC North team
- Two games against the AFC West (Las Vegas Raiders, Denver Broncos)
- Two games against the NFC South (Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers)
- One game against the NFC East team that also finished in second place in 2022 (Philadelphia)
- AFC North team that also finished in first place in 2022 (Cincinnati)
It will be hard to beat Mahomes, Herbert, and Burrow – at home or on the road. However, they should sweep the rebuilding Bears and pick up wins against the NFC South. Hopefully, they play Carolina late enough in the year that we get to see Bryce Young. And if you’re inclined to take a trip to a destination city, the Vikings will have winnable games in Denver and Vegas.
Still, I’d like to emphasize the NFC North schedule because of how much things have changed with the teams Minnesota plays twice a year.
When will they play Green Bay – and Detroit?
In the past two seasons, the Vikings have played Green Bay at home first, then on the road late. That’s bad for two reasons. First, the Packers games at US Bank Stadium gave the Purple false hope. In 2021, Minnesota’s 34-31 Week 11 win over Green Bay seemed to stabilize their rocky season. They were 5-5 heading into San Francisco and Detroit – and lost both games. The Los Angeles Rams put them out of their misery in Week 16.
Last year, the Week 1 win over the Packers was their only double-digit win until Week 18.
The bigger issue with playing the Packers at home first is Minnesota has to travel to Lambeau late in the season. It’s often picturesque to watch on TV, but it sucks to play January games in the Frozen Tundra. Green Bay polished off the Sean Mannion-led Vikings two years ago in Week 17. Last year, a Packers team going nowhere beat Minnesota 41-17, partially because many Vikings players wore the wrong cleats. It would be kinda nice to play an early-season game in Lambeau for once.
But really, I should have started with Detroit. The Lions are probably Minnesota’s biggest threat in the NFC North. Aaron Rodgers is in New York, and Dan Campbell has instilled his mentality into his team. Detroit has nearly swept the Vikings in the past two seasons. In 2021, Minnesota won on a last-second field goal at home; last year, Ypsilanti-born K.J. Osborn caught the go-ahead touchdown pass with 45 seconds left to avoid a loss in Week 3.
The Vikings will want Detroit early, though. The NFL suspended Jameson Williams for six games, and Minnesota has a better chance of beating the Lions without him. Williams only had one touchdown catch in six games last year. But that one touchdown catch came against the Vikings in Week 13. No sense in tempting fate with that guy if Minnesota doesn’t have to. Remember, the Vikings had pick 12 two years ago and traded it to Detroit, who used it to take Williams.
Finally, the Vikings probably want Chicago early. But it shouldn’t matter. They should take both games from the rebuilding Bears.
What’s the worst-case scenario?
The Vikings don’t want a hybrid of their 2021 and 2022 schedules. It would be tough if they start with a game in Cincinnati, play Green Bay at home, then play a primetime game in Philadelphia. That seems impossible, except the NFL had Minnesota play three non-noon games to start the season last year, and the league wants drama early. The Bengals Week 1 is a narrative; Green Bay always is, as would Philadelphia be on the road.
No matter how it shakes out, it’ll be a tough schedule. The Vikings play both Super Bowl teams and have to take on Herbert. Like any No. 1 pick, Young might struggle in his first year. But he also may be capable of playing well against a non-divisional opponent at home – especially if it’s later in the season. Detroit and the Packers will probably push Minnesota for the division, and the Saints game will be emotionally charged. The Niners will be a test to see where the Vikings stand in the NFC.
The upside to all this? It should be a pretty fun schedule, regardless of the sequence. The downside? It’s going to be challenging for a team that went 11-1 in one-score games last year.
