Vikings to Face Murderer’s Row at Start of Season
It won’t be easy. That’s for damn sure.
Vikings to Face Murderer’s Row at Start of Season
The 2024 Minnesota Vikings embark on a transformational season in less than four months, employing a man not named Kirk Cousins at QB1 for the first time since 2017. Veteran Sam Darnold and rookie J.J. McCarthy are on deck to battle for the job this summer.
And whoever takes the QB1 mantle will face a murderer’s row early in 2024. Sources have helped VikingsTerritory piece together tidbits of the team’s schedule, and the first half of the season isn’t for the faint of heart.
This is what we’ve gathered from reliable intel:
- Week 1 — at New York Giants
- Week 2 — vs. San Francisco 49ers
- Week 3 — vs. Houston Texans
- Week 4 — at Green Bay Packers
- Week 5 — vs. New York Jets (London)
- Week 6 — Bye
- Week 7 — vs. Detroit Lions
- Week 8 — at Los Angeles Rams
After Week 1, the itinerary is so brutal that topping the Giants right away almost feels mandatory — if the purple team wants to be competitive at all in 2024.
At New York is certainly a winnable contest — for the old version of the Vikings. Nobody quite knows how the aforementioned Darnold will perform, so at the Giants remains a tricky game to ponder. Then, Minnesota just beat San Francisco in Minneapolis last October, and that Super Bowl runner-up will undoubtedly have vengeance on the brain.
The Texans surprised everyone last year, reaching the AFC’s Divisional Round, and are now on tap to do even more damage in C.J. Stroud’s second act. Traveling to Green Bay is never easy, especially when Darnold or McCarthy will be slinging the rock.
The fun then continues across the pond as Minnesota will face a familiar foe in Aaron Rodgers. He quarterbacks the Jets these days and hopes to bounce back from a torn Achilles he suffered four plays into the 2023 season. It’s worth noting that Minnesota is undefeated all-time in international games, so Rodgers has a chance to end the streak.
Heading home versus the Lions after a Week 6 bye is dangerous. Detroit reached the NFC Championship last season and damn near won the thing. And to cap the first half of the season, Kevin O’Connell takes on his former employer, Sean McVay, on his turf — probably on Thursday Night Football.
The good news is that the schedule should soften a bit after Week 8. The first section, though, is brutal.
The full schedule will be released on Wednesday night.
Cold Water Poured on Vikings QB1 Theory
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.
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