The Vikings Will Be On Full Display in 2026
The 2026 schedule for the Minnesota Vikings (and the rest of the NFL) was officially released on Thursday night.
2026 is a pivotal year for the franchise, where many burning questions will (hopefully) be answered by the conclusion of the season. Is Kyler Murray the guy? Will J.J. McCarthy rise like a phoenix (no Kyler Murray pun intended) from the ashes? Is Dallas Turner that guy? Does Kevin O’Connell deserve to stay in the Twin Cities in 2027 and beyond?
Obviously, we don’t have those answers yet. However, the questions will have responses that will play out in a larger-than-usual audience for the purple team. For this season at least, gone are the days of having maybe one or two late-window kickoffs on Sunday. In fact, since we don’t know the kickoff times of their Week 16 and Week 18 games against Washington and Chicago, respectively, Minnesota has a kickoff time of the standard noon window in only seven of the 16 games with listed start times.
The Vikings Must Prove Themselves In Front of the World
As of now, the Vikings have eight games beginning at 3 P.M. or later. Four of these are late-Sunday window games, and four of them are primetime games. If the Vikings, Commanders, and Bears are all competitive late into the season, then this number very well could go up to ten. Three of the Vikings’ first four contests are 3 P.M. kickoffs.
The highlight of this eight-game montage is obviously the four-game segment of primetime appearances. They begin Week 9 against the Bills at home on Monday Night Football. Two of these are Sunday Night Football games against the 49ers in Mexico City and the Lions in Week 15 at home as well. Minnesota also travels to Foxborough in Week 14 for a Thursday Night Football game against the Patriots.
What’s most important is that, on paper, all four of these primetime games are legitimate competition for the Vikings to overcome. That’s not to say that any games on any schedule are a cake-walk; this is the NFL. The point being, is that these games are no 3 P.M. game against the Miami Dolphins.
On a side note, what was the thought with that being a late kickoff? Has there ever been a more noon kickoff-sounding game than the Minnesota Vikings against the Miami Dolphins? Even Thursday Night Football sounds like a better spot for that matchup.
Watching the Vikings Drama Unfold Under the Lights
All of the questions you could ask about these Minnesota Vikings will be at the forefront of the NFL in these primetime appearances.
Perhaps the NFL knew all the uncertainties in the Twin Cities, leading them to put the Vikings ahead of the casual-watcher base in 2026. Vikings fans will find out if Kyler Murray is the future, J.J. McCarthy is the future, Dallas Turner is legit, and Kevin O’Connell is the rightful head coach at the same time as everyone else, live and in full effect.
Surely, this will all go well, right?
