It Looks Like the Vikings Are Headed Overseas Once Again
The original Vikings originated from Scandinavia, modern-day Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, to be exact. In 1961, a certain football franchise started to compete in the NFL, and what was their name? The Minnesota Vikings.
It Looks Like the Vikings Are Headed Overseas Once Again
Since then, that franchise has broken various hearts throughout its history, to this day failing to capture a Super Bowl. At least the final NFL Championship was celebrated in the 1969 season; unfortunately, the following Super Bowl was, of course, lost.
Back to the roots has been a good thing for the organization, though. Overseas has been a perfect spot for the Vikes to steal some victories. In four trips to London, Minnesota has come out victorious four times, most recently against long-time nemesis Aaron Rodgers and his Jets last season.
In the upcoming campaign, that trip could be slightly different, hopefully with the same result. The Vikings have been rumored to head to Dublin, Ireland, this time.
Andrew Fillipponi, from Pittsburgh’s 937 The Fan, posted Sunday, “Source: The Steelers will host the Vikings in Ireland on September 28th. Not the Packers. Contrary to popular belief.”
Last week, The Athletic’s Alec Lewis suggested the organisation could play another international game, which would be unprecedented for any non-Jaguars franchise.
He said on his podcast The Alec Lewis Show, “The more interesting question that I’m just gonna leave right here is how many overseas games are there going to be? Because Dublin against the Steelers is something I’ve heard, and then we’ll see if, beyond that, if there’s anything else, but the passport is at the ready.”
Regardless, the Vikings have met the Steelers overseas before. In 2013, the Adrian Peterson-led Vikings triumphed over the Steelers. The Vikings also beat the Cleveland Browns in 2017, the New Orleans Saints in 2022, and the Jets last year. All in London.
If the Dublin game is in Week 4, and the Vikings would then head to London, they would face the Cleveland Browns there. Both games would be official road games for the purple franchise.
Ironically, the Steelers might employ quarterback Rodgers at that point. If that game indeed takes place in Dublin and Rodgers is signed by then, the future Hall of Famer would encounter the Vikings in Europe’s Northwest in back-to-back years.
Pittsburgh has never finished a regular season with a losing record under head coach Mike Tomlin, who previously coordinated Minnesota’s defense in 2006.
However, they also haven’t won a playoff game since January of 2017 and have lost six straight. The Vikings have lost their last three, but the most recent victory came in January 2020 with the surprising win over the Saints.
Many Vikings have already experienced the overseas atmosphere, the unusual time zone, and travel issues. Newcomers like first-rounder Donovan Jackson have not. It would also be a new thing for quarterback J.J. McCarthy. He might meet the guy, Aaron Rodgers, whom he read about in rumors daily in March.
The NFL schedule will be released on May 14th.