Is London Calling Good or Bad for Vikings?
Ted Schwerzler
|
Next season, the Minnesota Vikings will travel across the pond to play a home game in London, England. Despite having nine home games on the schedule, that one will obviously not be played within the confines of U.S. Bank Stadium. What should fans make of that reality?
Is London Calling Good or Bad for Vikings?
We don’t yet know which week the Vikings will host a home game in London, and we don’t know who the opponent will be, but the options have been laid out. Obviously, the Vikings will have home games against each of the three other NFC North opponents, and beyond that, they host the Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Atlanta Falcons, and New York Jets.
International Series games seem to draw well regardless of who the teams are because it allows fans to see live action that they’d otherwise need to travel significantly for. Those staying back in Minnesota will have an early morning Sunday contest to look forward to, and the game trip can be an exciting vacation.
Among the potential opponents, there are a few that jump out as more exciting than some of the others. San Francisco is a team that the Vikings hosted in 2023, and surprisingly upset during primetime. That team will always be something of intrigue for Minnesota fans as long as Brock Purdy is under center, and it doesn’t hurt that they are among the best teams in the sport.
Seeing what the Vikings can do against C.J. Stroud after such an impressive rookie season that included a near-perfect first playoff performance will be plenty of fun, too. Neutralizing some of the homefield advantage in that game might not hurt as bad as a top-tier opponent like the 49ers, but you’d have to think Minnesota would love to host that game in Minnesota.
The other one that stands out is unquestionably the return of Aaron Rodgers. After having missed the entire 2023 season dealing with an Achilles injury while suggesting he would erroneously return, Rodgers should be in green and white for 2024. He has long been someone that Vikings fans love to see get beat, and regardless of him no longer playing for the Packers, serving up a loss against the Jets would suffice.
Season ticket holders could be a bit frustrated in losing the additional home game during the off-year with nine credited to them. While there is an opportunity to fly overseas for the contest, it doesn’t provide the same value as the traditional package would, and that’s certainly a drawback.
On the flip side, the Vikings have now provided their fans and football fans nationwide a reason to experience Europe. While the game will only take place on one day, there is a reason to make a long weekend or week-long trip out of the experience, and plenty of history and excitement is available to those wanting to make the flight.
Ultimately, it doesn’t seem likely that the opponent will impact much of the experience for the London game. Fans will flock to the contest regardless, and the turnout should be strong. It may remove a premium contest from the true home schedule, and that would be less than ideal, but the overall impact should be minimal at best.
London is calling. Are you going?
So, the Vikings Have Been Put on Notice?
Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes weekly for Twins Daily. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.
You must be logged in to post a comment.