We Now Know One of the Vikings’ Preseason Opponents
This week, the NFL will roll out its full 2024 regular season schedule.
However, in the days leading up to that release, a few games have already been announced, including a Week 1 Thursday Night Football matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs.
We don’t officially know any regular season matchups for the Vikings yet, but we do know one of the Vikings’ preseason opponents. That team is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which had their entire preseason schedule leak on Monday.
We Now Know One of the Vikings’ Preseason Opponents
The news came via JC Allen of Sports Illustrated, who tweeted, “It looks like the #Bucs have leaked their preseason opponents. It appears they will play the Vikings, Jags, & Dolphins in the preseason. The #Buccaneers requested the Phins & Jags in hopes of having joint practices prior to their games. Looks like the league granted their request.”
Vikings fans will remember that the Buccaneers came to U.S. Bank Stadium in Week 1 of the regular season and upset Minnesota by a score of 20-17, which sent the Vikings on an early season spiral that resulted in a 1-4 start to the year.
It was a very winnable game for the Vikings, but instead, it set the trend for the entire year: ridiculously bad turnover luck. Kirk Cousins threw an interception to rookie safety Christian Izien on Tampa Bay’s goal line at the end of the first half, and two other fumbles ensured Minnesota would not be able to win that game.
This game also set the trend for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The NFC South team proved to be a feisty competitor throughout the 2023 season, finishing the year with a 9-8 record and winning the division. They walloped the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card round before falling to the Detroit Lions on the road.
Of course, a preseason matchup won’t mean nearly as much for either side, but it could help determine who wins this year’s QB battle in Minnesota. Kirk Cousins decided to leave Minnesota in free agency this spring, signing a deal with the Atlanta Falcons.
Minnesota then signed Sam Darnold in free agency and selected J.J. McCarthy with the 10th overall pick in the draft, setting up a very intriguing battle that should be heavily discussed throughout the summer months.
It remains unknown when exactly the Vikings will face off with the Buccaneers during the preseason. That information likely will come out later in the week.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Reference.
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Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.