The Good, the Bad, and the Whiny of the Vikings Schedule
Nothing is ever perfect.
Even when a team wins a championship, there are bumps along the way. Even the ’72 Dolphins almost blew their perfect season.
So, with the release of the final NFL schedule today after the official leaks, official release of international games, pre-official leaks, and leaks of the leaks of the schedule from the last couple of weeks, the NFL finally had their big TV event to announce the schedule that most already knew.
The Good, the Bad, and the Whiny of the Vikings Schedule
While some had concerns about going overseas again and then hearing the Vikings might play two games across the pond, all those fears and hopes of primetime games were finalized Wednesday. What did I see on my timelines? Whining.
So many pundits, bloggers, Vikings fans, and opposing fans complained about the Vikings’ schedule. What was funny is that they all had myriad reasons.
All I could hear all day was Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 80s comedy classic Kindergarten Cop sternly telling the kids, “Stop whining!” For the uninitiated, Arny is just plain tired of the kids’ complaints about where they need to be sitting and bathroom breaks. But let’s look at the schedule put out and review where complaints might be valid, where the silver linings exist, and where you just need to stop whining.
From Blarney to Blighty
The NFL seems to view the Vikings as its European darling, often sending them to Europe. The Vikings defeated the Jets just last year in London. They are not only going overseas this season but are staying for a second game.
The Vikings meet the Steelers for the first NFL game in Dublin, Ireland, in week four and then spend the next week in London to face the Browns. This is the first time a team has had to do this as the NFL makes the Vikings their guinea pig. A flurry of folks complained about this, and some of the complaints are very valid.
Pros: The two teams the Vikings face aren’t slated to be very good this year, as both have major questions at the biggest position, quarterback. The Vikings are undefeated when playing overseas. The team only has to travel across the ocean once. The Vikings have a large fan base in Europe, and the games may feel more like home games since it’s a neutral site.
Cons: Vikings fans from the Pittsburgh and Cleveland areas get screwed out of their favorite team coming to their city and saving money on traveling to Minnesota to see them. Now it has become even more expensive. The Vikings must take an earlier bye week than they may have wanted.
Whiny: The Vikings get neutral site games, and that is an advantage instead of going to opposing teams’ stadiums filled with their fans. This is mostly from Packers fans. They also have whined that the Packers not getting to go overseas is some sort of slight because the Aaron Rodgers narrative is removed if he signs with Pittsburgh. Vikings fans who think it’s unfair for the team to be away from TCO for so long, and this is some form of personal slight against the team by the NFL.
Even some national commentators have said it gives the Vikings an advantage.
Game #1
The Vikings open their season on Monday Night Football. Not only will it be opening weekend, but it will also be the debut of JJ McCarthy and the revamped Vikings’ offensive and defensive lines.
The Vikings haven’t had their opening game against the Bears since the late 90s. This game will be the first meeting between McCarthy and last year’s first overall pick, Caleb Williams, due to JJ’s knee injury that kept him out all last year. It’s an interesting way to start the season because many betting sites have the Bears and Vikings battling it out for 4th place in the NFC North division.
Pros: Starting the season against a division foe gives the season a more dramatic kickoff than playing a nonconference matchup. Hopefully, the players should be a little more focused since it’s a division game. Catching the Bears early may be an opportunity to catch them off-guard before new Head Coach Ben Johnson can get all their ducks in a row.
The recent news about Williams trying to circumvent being drafted by the Bears may be a distraction since it’s a primetime game that adds some pressure on the young quarterback. It will be a great opening test for the revamped team, and seeing Brian Flores’ new defensive weapons on display should be fun.
Cons: McCarthy hasn’t played in a real game with true consequences since his final game in college for the National Championship. He was only in briefly in his first preseason game last year. He might be a bit rusty, and he’s basically playing his rookie season. Soldier’s Field has not been a great place for the Vikings to play, as they have struggled there. Starting on the biggest stage of the weekend may be too much pressure for the team if they haven’t gelled together themselves with so many new players and a young QB.
Whiny: Once again, fans are complaining that the schedule makers somehow slighted the team with this early challenge as if they’re supposed to show us some mercy. Some have joked that we must wait the longest to see our team play.
The Bye Week
Several things can take players off the field, from injuries to suspensions. While it can affect certain games for the worse, it can sometimes not be as big a deal as the team they are playing isn’t very good, and the player missing is negligible.
The hope is that the bye week falls at a good point, allowing players to heal and rest. Since the NFL moves most of the division games to later in the season, so that even when teams are having a bad year, those rivalries still are meaningful games and could be upset wins to alter the division standings. That’s a good time to have a bye week and get healed. The bye for the Vikings is right after they return from their European stint, which makes perfect sense. They must get reacclimated to the time zone and shake off any jet lag.
Pros: It helps them get back on their United States clocks after being in Europe. Week six isn’t the worst week to shake off some early injuries, bumps, and bruises and reflect on things they need to work on. They play the Eagles at home in week seven, giving them ample time to prepare for the Super Bowl champs and their good and well-balanced team. The Bears and Packers had to take their byes during week five, and the Lions are in week eight.
Cons: There’s a lot of season left after that bye week, and no other breaks are in sight unless you get a first-round bye in the playoffs. If there are any injuries to key players after the bye, don’t give them an extra week to recover and not miss a big game.
Whiny: Most have complained about the aforementioned negatives. Some have suggested that the Vikings should have just played the following week and saved the bye for a later time.
Primetime Players
A successful season usually puts a team in the limelight the next season, and the Vikings had a very successful season.
Most didn’t predict it with Sam Darnold at the helm, a defense that was considered shaky with a weak pass rush up front, several injuries at cornerback, and the death of Khyree Jackson.
The free agents they brought in didn’t seem to equal the ones they lost. Fast forward to a 14-3 season and Kevin O’Connell winning Coach of the Year, and the Vikings quickly became an NFL darling, schedule-wise. Even though the media has pretty much ignored the Vikings this offseason, it picked up quickly with the schedule release.
The Vikings earned four games in primetime with their first two games on Monday night and Sunday night. In Week 8, they get a Thursday night game at the Chargers in LA. On Sunday, December 14th, they head to Dallas for a meeting on Sunday Night Football.
They also got assigned one Sunday game at 3 PM. Add to that the two games in Europe that aren’t primetime but carry a little heft due to the venue, and that they play two in a row over there, and they have a game on Christmas Day that has a special feeling. If the Vikings have a successful season, they could get flexed into other primetime slots later in the year. The final game hosting Green Bay could potentially be a factor in the division or playoffs.
Pros: The Vikings are getting tons of exposure in primetime and worldwide with international games. If they have a good season, that shine will get brighter week by week. If they are winning those games on the arm of JJ McCarthy, and he outshines the brightest of lights, it means that he is the real deal. The Chargers’ game on Thursday night gives them some extra time to prepare for their first game against the Lions.
Cons: The Vikings have had their share of struggles in primetime, although that was mostly attributed to Kirk Cousins. The game against the Chargers is the second game after they return from England, and it’s on Thursday night. Death, taxes, and the Vikings playing at Seattle seem to be an overwhelming truth.
Whiny: See the complaint above about the first game. The second game against Atlanta has them in primetime two weeks in a row. Christmas against a tough Lions team may dampen holiday festivities if they lose and put a kink in people’s family activities in general.
The best thing about this year’s schedule is its overall balance of games and when they play teams. In the last few years, they wouldn’t play a division rival for the first four weeks or so. This would lead to games against the same division opponent only a few weeks apart that felt stacked on each other. While the team has three weeks against the AFC North, the rest of the AFC games are sprinkled in between NFC and division foes.
If the Vikings have taken the big step towards a championship and all the pieces are in place, with people like Kay Adams saying they will win the Super Bowl this season, they will be front and center for everyone to see it.
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