The Gauntlet Is Coming for the Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings’ schedule has been known for quite some time. The expectation was that the team needed to go 4-1 through the first five weeks of the season. That didn’t happen due to losses against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Atlanta Falcons. You can point at either of those games and suggest they should have won. Now sitting at 3-2, the gauntlet is coming.
The Minnesota Vikings’ schedule turns into an absolute gauntlet for a few weeks after they return from their bye week.
After a rather soft opening part of the schedule, Minnesota finds itself up against some substantial opponents after its bye. First, they host the Philadelphia Eagles, and then they travel to Los Angeles for a game against the Chargers. A road date with the Detroit Lions is next, and then, despite being 1-4, hosting the Baltimore Ravens doesn’t seem like an easy task.
Vikings’ Schedule Is a Doozy from Here on Out
That four-game stretch could essentially decide the season for the Vikings. Minnesota is locked into one of football’s best divisions this season. The Lions, despite losing both coordinators, are again a tough team to face. The Green Bay Packers have a well-rounded group, and they added Micah Parsons to the mix. Currently third in the NFC North, the Vikings can’t afford to fall too far.
If Kevin O’Connell’s team wants to make the playoffs, then winning two of their next four seems like a must. Obviously, there is a level of home-field advantage that U.S. Bank Stadium provides for Minnesota, but to what extent it can be used against either the Eagles or Ravens remains to be seen. Beating the Lions on the road will be tough, and though the 3-2 Chargers have dropped winnable games, going out west is never easy.
The Vikings can’t make the playoffs through the first ten weeks of the season, but they certainly can exclude themselves from that opportunity within that timeframe. If and when J.J. McCarthy returns to the starting lineup, it will be on the young signal caller to show he is ready for the moment. If the ball stays in Carson Wentz’s hands, he’ll need to continue protecting it and moving the offense methodically down the field.
The most crucial factor for the Vikings is probably health. They have been ravaged by injuries to start the season, and that trend can’t continue if they are going to be playing football after the regular season. A healthier team, and one clicking on all cylinders, can hang with the best teams in this league. They’ll have to show that out of the bye.
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