Vikings Schedule Presents NFC North Intrigue
The Minnesota Vikings have known their 2025 opponents for quite some time.
Vikings Schedule Presents NFC North Intrigue
On Tuesday, it was confirmed that they would become the first team to play international games in back-to-back weeks. Now that we have a good look at the full schedule, things get interesting in the final weeks.
Sure, Week 1 on the road against the Chicago Bears could be a statement game within the division. Minnesota must set the tone against their most closely-linked opponents, but they must weather the storm throughout a full season.
There are plenty of difficult opponents awaiting them. The AFC North is not exactly the easiest draw when considering other divisions that will go up against the NFC North. For Minnesota, though, it’s the Week 17 and 18 matchups against the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers where their season could be on the line.
The Detroit Lions game takes place on Christmas Day. That will be just four days after Kevin O’Connell’s team travels to New York for a game against the New York Giants. Regardless of the talent level possessed by the Giants, it’s still an outdoor road game during a cold month. The quick turnaround immediately focuses on a Lions team that is projected to win the division.
No matter how Minnesota fares against Detroit, they won’t have time to dwell on the result as Green Bay comes in hungry for a final victory to end the season. Both teams should be expected to compete for a division title, and the Vikings will need to be at their best if they want to defend home court against each of them.
It’s one thing for the Vikings to complete a regular season with a strong divisional opponent. This time around, they’ll be tasked with beating the two best opponents and ensuring they don’t fall asleep down the stretch at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Wins against the Lions and Packers would put a nice exclamation point on the season as a whole. Losses could represent a catastrophe that has them outside the playoffs.
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 daily for Minnesota Sports Fan. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.
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