PurpleTerritory Round Table: What 1 Match-Up Is Truly the Most Alluring to Us?
With the preseason and regular season upon us, it’s time for a PurpleTerritory Round Table. And we are taking a look at the Minnesota Vikings 2023 schedule.
Now, I went around and asked everyone on the staff what game they are looking forward to the most on this year’s slate.
Along with myself, six other writers chipped in their thoughts. We will each have one game circled on our schedule and give a couple of sentences minimum as to why we are excited for each game.
VT‘s Dustin Baker thinks of a weird part of the schedule, but yet, it’s not his game that he’s looking forward to.
But how is the rest of the crew, including Dustin, looking at this PurpleTerritory Round Table? Let’s take a deeper dive and view who picked what game.
Table of Contents
PurpleTerritory Round Table: Each Match-Up From the Staff And Why
Number 1: Dustin Baker
Dustin’s Pick: Week 7, Monday, Oct. 23 vs San Francisco 49ers (8:15 PM ET/7:15 PM CT, U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis)
The Reasoning: Minnesota takes on San Francisco — at home — in Week 7, a tender time on the schedule. Because the purple team faces the Eagles, Chargers, and Chiefs before the 49ers matchup, the Vikings could reasonably be 4-3 or 3-4 heading into the San Francisco showdown.
Most believe the 49ers will once again be good-good, so you’re going to learn real quick how good the Vikings are by hosting Shanahan and the gang. If this game were in Santa Clara, most would write it off as a loss and move on. However, the Vikings play rather well at U.S. Bank Stadium and should be expected to beat anyone in the glass palace — even the elite teams. Week 7 versus San Francisco is an early test to determine if the 2023 Vikings are for real.
PurpleTerritory Round Table: Writer Number 2’s Choice And Explanation
Number 2: Editor Kyle Joudry
Kyle’s Pick: Week 8, Sunday, Oct. 29 @ Green Bay Packers (1 PM ET/Noon Central, Lambeau Field, Green Bay)
The Reasoning: Pretty easy answer for me. Week 8 at Lambeau. I want to see Justin Jefferson on Jaire Alexander. GB’s corner got the best of MN’s receiver last year, but I don’t think it will happen again. It’ll be a great battle between a pair of top players.
PurpleTerritory Round Table: Writer Number 3’s Choice And Reasoning
Number 3: Editor Josh Frey
Josh’s Pick: Week 16, Sunday, Dec. 24 vs Detroit Lions (1 PM ET/Noon Central, U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis)
The Reasoning: I’m going Week 16 against the Lions. Every game against the Lions in recent years has been filled with excitement, and this year, Week 16 is Minnesota’s first chance against the team that everyone has crowned as the favorite to win the NFC North this season. Obviously, Week 18 could turn into a game between the two teams to decide the division, but if the Vikings take care of business in that first matchup, they will go a long way toward ensuring they claim the title in back-to-back years.
PurpleTerritory Round Table: Writer Number 4’s Choice And Why
Number 4: Ali Siddiqui (Congrats on Becoming a Father, by the way)
Ali’s Pick: Week 1, Sunday, Sept. 10 vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1 PM ET/Noon Central, U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis)
The Reasoning: Week one against Tampa. Why? It’s week one. The long wait is over. The Vikings will also be rocking their throwbacks. New season, first game, different jerseys. What’s not to like?
PurpleTerritory Round Table: Writer Number 5’s Choice and Explanation
Number 5: Matthew Davis
Matthew’s Pick: Week 5, Sunday, Oct. 8 vs Kansas City Chiefs (4:25 PM ET/3:25 PM Central, U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis)
The Reasoning: I’m picking the Vikings-Chiefs game for October 8 because fans will get to see Patrick Mahomes no matter how the game goes. The Vikings defense will get its best measuring stick of the season, and if Kirk Cousins can step up against the Chiefs defense, that game could have an exciting finish.
PurpleTerritory Round Table: Writer Number 6’s Choice and Why
Number 6: Henrique Gucciardi, our native Brazilian
Henrique’s Pick: Week 16, Sunday, Dec. 24 vs Detroit Lions (1 PM ET/Noon Central, U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis)
The Reasoning: It’s the 1st game against the Lions. Almost every analyst is saying that the NFC North crown is between the Vikings and the Lions in 2023. If that’s true (and I think it is), the two games between them will likely decide who wins the division – and they don’t play each other until Week 16 when Minnesota hosts the Lions. This should be a really entertaining one.
PurpleTerritory Round Table: The Final Writer and Their Explanation
Number 7: Yours truly, some guy named Nate Powalie
Nate’s Pick: Week 3, Sunday, Sept. 24 vs Los Angeles Chargers (1 PM ET/Noon Central, U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis)
The Reasoning: Now, the reason I chose the Vikings and Chargers match-up in Week 3 was because of one reason only. This game will be a premier quarterback match-up. You have one of the top veteran arms in the game in Kirk Cousins going up against an elite young gunslinger in Justin Herbert. Based on that alone, this should be an exciting game that will feature a lot of points for both offenses.
Final Thoughts on the PurpleTerritory Round Table
For my first crack at doing a PurpleTerritory round table article with the crew, I think that this attempt went very well. Everyone provided some very insightful information as we look ahead to the beginning of the 2023 NFL season. With the preseason now officially underway, we can say that football is back.
And soon to follow will be regular season action. Which way the Minnesota Vikings will go this year will be quickly determined. But thank you to everyone who contributed to this PurpleTerritory Round Table. I’m sure I will be able to do one again soon. And, in closing, the schedule is out, and it is time to release the Gjallarhorn.
Former Viking Signs with Dolphins
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