Five of the first seven games of the Minnesota Vikings’ 2024 season are against teams that made the playoffs last season. Will the offense be prepared with a new quarterback for that stretch? And what might be Sam Darnold’s leash?
The Vikings are one of the league’s most intriguing unknown quantities this season, and the early run of tough matchups will strain their ability to prove themselves in a daunting division. But they wouldn’t be intriguing if they didn’t also have a ton of potential upside, which makes the games below especially noteworthy.
Week 1: September 8, at Giants
The Vikings open the season on the road against the team that knocked them out of the playoffs in the 2022 season. We assume Daniel Jones will be the quarterback in Week 1 but there is the chance that the Vikings could be playing Drew Lock instead. Vikings fans will finally get answers to some questions that will linger throughout the summer…and perhaps some revenge?
Week 4: September 29 at Packers
The first game against the division rivals will test how Minnesota’s newly revamped defense stacks up against Jordan Love and his supporting cast stacked with impressive young talent. It wasn’t so long ago that the Packers were supposed to be headed into a post-Aaron Rodgers wilderness in search of a new direction for the franchise while the Vikings ascended. However, once again, the Vikings will be testing a new quarterback against a formidable Packers squad.
This also begins a stretch of road games for them that only includes two home games until December 1.
Week 5: October 6 vs. Jets in London
Week 5 may well be the last time the Vikings will play against Rodgers. After all of those battles, the last one will take place in London, an odd place for a potential final showdown. (No doubt Rodgers has some totally normal opinions about London.) This will mark the fourth trip the Vikings have crossed the Atlantic for an international game.
Week 6: Bye
Take a break. Go for a nice long walk.
Week 8: October 24 at Rams
If J.J. McCarthy is not the opening-day starter, which by all accounts seems likely, I see two scenarios where he could start his first game for Minnesota. Either after the bye week, giving Kevin O’Connell two weeks to prepare for his first start, or after the Rams game, which is on a short week and closer to mid-season. The Rams game is also one of only two primetime games for the Vikings this season.
Week 14: December 8th vs. Falcons
This will be Kirk Cousins‘ return game to Minnesota. (Tell Pizza Ranch to stock up on corn.) Will there be a warm reception? Don’t forget there’s an outside possibility, for whatever reason, that he isn’t even playing at this point, and it’s an early look at Michael Penix. But the odds significantly favor a showdown with the Vikings’ former QB, and Kirk “Do You Like That” Cousins will no doubt be looking to stick it to his old team.
Week 15: December 16 vs. Bears
For the 20th season in a row, the Vikings are playing the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football. Sarcasm obviously, but it really feels like it. Last year, they did it again when Joshua Dobbs threw four interceptions and ended his brief run of glory. On the brighter side, there is the potential that this could be the first time (or second) that J.J. McCarthy and Caleb Williams play against each other. This game could wind up being the debut of a potential long-running duel between the two. This is also the second and last game of Minnesota’s primetime schedule.
Week 18: January 4 or 5 at Lions
The last two games of the season are both are against division opponents, so the playoff implications will be multiple, even if one of the teams is out of contention. Whether it’s clawing their way into the postseason or shattering the hopes of a detested rival, the Vikings will have plenty to play for to end the season.
