Vikings Will Play the Week’s Top Game 4 Times
The Minnesota Vikings have released their schedule for the upcoming football season. After a surprising 14-3 campaign, head coach Kevin O’Connell wants to continue his regular-season magic, but with some postseason magic sprinkled in this time.
Vikings Will Play the Week’s Top Game 4 Times
It’ll be a hard schedule, however, with the AFC North and the NFC East on the docket, as well as the obviously tough NFC North matchups against three solid teams.
The Vikings are decent, and the opponents are decent, meaning there will be plenty of intriguing games coming up. Tyler Sullivan, CBS Sports, nominated the top match of each of the 18 weeks. Minnesota landed four of those.
Week 3: Cincinnati Bengals at Minnesota Vikings
The primary storyline is obvious. It’s the matchups between the league’s two elite receivers who happen to be former teammates at LSU. Joe Burrow completes the LSU trifecta.
Sullivan wrote: “This matchup between Cincinnati and Minnesota should garner plenty of interest, especially from those in Baton Rouge. Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase will head to U.S. Bank Stadium and see their former LSU teammate Justin Jefferson as they take on the Vikings. On top of this reunion between national champions, it also has the potential for fireworks on offense.”
The Bengals’ offense was nearly unstoppable last season, and their defense was highly flawed. It continues to look that way on paper. Either O’Connell’s unit needs to match the offensive output, or Brian Flores needs to find ways to stop Burrow and the gang from putting up points.
Week 8: Minnesota Vikings at Los Angeles Chargers
Another date between two former college pals, although they didn’t play on the same team. Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh will meet, potentially, his favorite non-Chargers player, J.J. McCarthy.
Sullivan noted: “I’m more intrigued with this game [than Commanders vs. Chiefs], especially if Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy begins the year on a strong note. Here he’ll be taking on his former Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh. That duo won a national championship for the Wolverines not too long ago and now will be adversaries. From a strategic standpoint, I’m fascinated to see how Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Jesse Minter (who was also the DC at Michigan) attack a quarterback they have deep knowledge of.”
Minnesota’s success in the 2025 season will largely hinge on the wildcard at quarterback. If McCarthy can come even close to Sam Darnold’s play from a year ago, it should be a team to watch.
Week 12: Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers
There’s no doubt about it, the border battle between the Vikings and the Packers is always a game to watch. The purple franchise has won two consecutive games at Lambeau Field.
Sullivan’s two cents: “Week 12 is another rather quiet week on the NFL calendar, but we do get to enjoy an NFC North showdown between the Vikings and Packers at Lambeau Field. While Detroit sucks up a lot of national attention, this entire division is filled with playoff-caliber talent. Minnesota nearly secured the No. 1 seed over Detroit last season, and Green Bay made it in as a wild-card entry. There’s no reason to expect these clubs won’t be in the thick of the playoff race this year, and if the Lions take a step back, this could be a slugfest as they jockey for the division crown.”
Three of the four NFC North teams enter the season with some significant questions. The Lions lost both coordinators, but the roster is still excellent. Chicago has a first-time head coach and needs a big jump to enter a conversation with the three foes. The Vikings have the aforementioned unproven quarterback, and the Packers? They didn’t change nearly as much as the other teams. They could be sneaky good if their passing attack takes the next step and they avoid falling into a hole against the Vikings early in games.
Week 17: Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings
It will be the second of the two annual matchups between the Vikings and their nemesis, Detroit. The Lions have won five straight, including last year’s season finale.
Sullivan wrote: “Last season, the schedule-makers struck gold by putting Lions-Vikings in Week 18, as that game had the No. 1 seed and the NFC North title on the line. While it’s not the final week of the regular season, we do get another head-to-head late in the year that could find us in a similar spot. If J.J. McCarthy can live up to his first-round billing, Minnesota should remain in contention and challenge Detroit for the division. So, this matchup could be a hat and T-shirt affair.”
The two franchises probably won’t achieve a combined 29-3 in other games, but this contest could hold major stakes once again. This time, the second bout will take place at U.S. Bank Stadium.
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