The 4 Easiest Games on Vikings Schedule
Dustin Baker
|
The Minnesota Vikings schedule in 2023 isn’t quite as favorable as last year.
In 2022, the club had nine home games, seven true road games, and a neutral site showdown in London. The itinerary flips this year — eight home games; nine on the road.
The 4 Easiest Games on Vikings Schedule
In fact, according to Sharp Analysis, Minnesota has the league’s eighth-toughest schedule. The Vikings simply face various teams that appear destined for the postseason and several Pro Bowl quarterbacks.
Still, a handful of not-impossible games exist on the schedule, and these are those. They’re ranked in ascending order (No. 1 = easiest).
4. at Atlanta Falcons (W9)
Yes, the Falcons finished 7-10 in 2022 — some casual fans forget that — and, no, they’re not a shoo-in to struggle this year.
However, the club will be led by QB1 Desmond Ridder, and nobody knows if he’ll be any good. Atlanta also ranked 30th via defensive DVOA a season ago. Couple that wretched DVOA with a Ridder forecast at quarterback, and the Falcons pose one of the weakest threats on Minnesota’s schedule — and are the only road-game team on this list.
3. Chicago Bears (W12)
Many NFL pundits expect Justin Fields to break out in 2023 — he appeared to mature on the fly last year, mostly as a runner of the football — but the Vikings still have the roster oomph to topple Chicago at U.S. Bank Stadium in Week 12.
Of course, Minnesota has struggled against mobile quarterbacks for about a decade-plus, so playing against Fields won’t be fun. But a good Bears season in 2023 can reasonably be defined as 7-10 or 8-9, and if they have a similar record when taking on the Vikings in Minneapolis, Kevin O’Connell’s team should still get the job done.
2. New Orleans Saints (W10)
The Saints have one of the easiest schedules in the NFL this season, so if they hop out to an impressive record and NFC South lead, the opposition shouldn’t panic. New Orleans won’t be gangbusters in 2023 and still must determine how they will dethrone the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers with Derek Carr as the QB1 solution — if they’re any good in the first place.
The Vikings play the Saints right in the middle of their schedule’s ‘soft spot’ and can’t afford to lose at home.
1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (W1)
Let’s get this out of the way: The Buccaneers are not a bad football team — not by a longshot. They’re basically the same team as last year, sans the greatest football player of all time.
However, regarding the Vikings schedule, Week 1 is genuinely the ‘easiest’ matchup on the docket. It’s all downhill from there — but in a bad way. Minnesota has the advantage of a Week 1 home game, and after that, it’s off to Philadelphia for a presumed house of horrors.
The Vikings must win Week 1.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
You must be logged in to post a comment.