VT Question of the Week: Which Regular Season Vikings Game Will be the Most Challenging?

(image courtesy of Vikings.com)

Austin: Week 14 | Minnesota Vikings at Arizona Cardinals
In their only Thursday Night Football game of the year, the Vikings will travel to Arizona just four days after hosting the defending NFC Champion Seattle Seahawks. Both games are likely to be physical battles, and it will be difficult for the team to turn around and win a game against the Cardinals on the road. I think the Vikings have the talent, and defensive line, to compete with the high-powered Cardinals offense, and this game will be a true test of their mental and physical stamina. Norv Turner can negate the Cardinals’ double A-Gap blitzes with a mix of quick passes and draws, while Mike Zimmer’s crop of cornerbacks will have their hands full with John Brown, Larry Fitzgerald, and Michael Floyd. I expect a low-scoring, defensive battle this late into the season, and we’ll find out if Zimmer’s unit can keep fighting just one week after a tough matchup with the Seahawks.

Carl: Week 11 | Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings
The biggest rivalry game on the schedule also represents the biggest challenge this season for the upstart Minnesota Vikings. The Packers have won nine of the last 11 meetings, and 58 of the 109 overall contests since the two teams first played in 1961. The Vikings will have nine games under their belt this season when they face the four-time defending NFC North Division Champs at TCF Bank Stadium on Week 11. I’m confident the Vikings will have a 3-0 divisional record heading into this all-important statement game. The Vikings appear to be on the verge of becoming a very good football team… just how good will certainly be answered when the Cheese Heads come to town.

Brent: Week 17 | Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers
There are several tough games for the Vikings in 2015. The argument could be made that the toughest game of the year will be playing in Denver against a good Broncos defense. However, with that game taking place early in the season, I think it’s easy to recover from a loss in Denver if need be.

My pick is the last game of the season, mostly because of what might be on the line. The Vikings last beat the Packers at home in 2012, in a game that held playoff implications and an opportunity for Adrian Peterson to break the single season rushing record. I think this year will be similar in the fact that the Vikings will likely be a bubble team with an opportunity to secure their playoff birth.

Playing in Green Bay is never easy, but doing so in January is even more difficult, especially if the pressure of the playoffs is on.

Andy: Week 14 | Minnesota Vikings at Arizona Cardinals
I have a couple reasons for this one:

1) Bruce Arians has built a beast out there in the desert (not bad for a retiree, eh Pittsburgh?) that will be contending for the NFC West crown.
2) We have a young football team not accustomed to meaningful football late in the season, which we obviously hope Week 14 will be for the 2015 Minnesota Fightin’ Vikings.
3) Short week coming off of the Week 13 brawl against the Seahawks at The Bank. Since Week 7 of last season, teams are 0-10 in the games after squaring off against Seattle.

Should be a fun game either way. Hopefully it has deep playoff implications and we all go out and enjoy the game somewhere with Thursday night wing & beer specials.

Lindsey: Week 14 | Minnesota Vikings at Arizona Cardinals
Even with the barrage of injury issues Arizona faced during the 2014 season, the team made a strong run at the Super Bowl and looked to have nearly all the pieces together. If Carson Palmer stays healthy and picks up where he left off last year, I fully expect the Cardinals to be just as effective. Add Michael Floyd, Andre Ellington and veteran receiver Larry Fitzgerald to the mix, and you have an offense to be reckoned with. Road games tend to be more challenging anyway, and the Vikings will be rolling into Arizona just four days after taking on Seattle (which was in the running as the most challenging game in my mind). Fatigue will be setting in, and Minnesota’s defense will need to be on its toes for this one.

 

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