Full Vikings Schedule Leaked
The NFL will release the entirety of the 2025 regular season schedule on Wednesday night; the league has made a suspenseful production of it in recent years.
Per annual tradition, the Vikings schedule leak is here.
But thanks to some social media warriors, the Minnesota Vikings’ portion of the schedule is now public. The rumors were accurate about overseas games, Minnesota finishes the season at home with back-to-back contests, and generally speaking, the schedule is rough, as was expected.
Overall, the Vikings will play the NFL’s fifth-most difficult schedule, according to Sharp Football Analysis.
Here’s the full leak.
The Vikings’ Unofficial 2025 Schedule
With 95% certainty, this is the Vikings’ menu in 2025 (away games in red):
Week 1: at Chicago Bears (MNF)
Week 2: vs. Atlanta Falcons (SNF)
Week 3: vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Week 4: at Pittsburgh Steelers (I)
Week 5: at Cleveland Browns (E)
Week 6: BYE
Week 7: Philadelphia Eagles
Week 8: at Los Angeles Chargers (TNF)
Week 9: at Detroit Lions
Week 10: vs. Baltimore Ravens
Week 11: vs. Chicago Bears
Week 12: at Green Bay Packers
Week 13: at Seattle Seahawks
Week 14: vs. Washington Commanders
Week 15: at Dallas Cowboys
Week 16: at New York Giants
Week 17: vs. Detroit Lions (TNF, XMas)
Week 18: vs. Green Bay Packers
The Good Parts
Some consider the international trip a perk because it eliminates hostile crowds that otherwise would’ve shown up in Pittsburgh and Cleveland. The Vikings’ overseas throng always tends to favor the purple team, so to an extent, optimists can classify Weeks 4 and 5 as “home games.”
Fully acknowledging that this schedule doesn’t have too many easy sections, the last three games, which could be for all the marbles, aren’t the worst for Minnesota. Week 16 at the New York Giants should be winnable, especially if rookie passer Jaxson Dart has taken over by then. The Vikings will later “control their fate” against the Lions and Packers at home.
Very easily, one or both of the final two contests could’ve occurred on the road.
The Hard Parts
The schedule, on the whole, is deadly, and few would disagree.
Based on opponent caliber, this is a murderer’s row:
Week 7: Philadelphia Eagles
Week 8: at Los Angeles Chargers (TNF)
Week 9: at Detroit Lions
Week 10: vs. Baltimore Ravens
After a one-week reprieve at home against the Bears, this gauntlet isn’t for the timid:
Week 12: at Green Bay Packers
Week 13: at Seattle Seahawks
Week 14: vs. Washington Commanders
Week 15: at Dallas Cowboys
From Week 7 to 10, Eagles, Chargers, Lions, and Ravens are absolutely vicious, and it might be challenging to find a tougher foursome anywhere in football.
Thereafter, with the playoff picture taking shape, the Packers, Seahawks, Commanders, and Cowboys — three of which are away games — will really test Minnesota’s mettle.
The Surprises
Back-to-back international games assuredly surprised the masses. It’s never happened, but Minnesota appeared to welcome the challenge, embracing the “homefield advantage” aspect.
Nobody knew that Kevin O’Connell and Co. would draw a Christmas game, making it a somewhat pleasant surprise, particularly against a familiar foe, the Lions.
And to reiterate, finishing the season at home two games consecutively will put the onus on Minnesota to eat home cooking and prosper.
PurplePTSD on the Christmas Showdown vs. DET
PurplePTSD‘s Janik Eckardt wrote about the Christmas bombshell: “The Vikings have not played a game on Christmas Day since 2020, when they lost to another nemesis. Sean Payton’s Saints dropped 52 points, and Alvin Kamara ruined many fantasy football playoffs and turned into a Grinch for Minnesota sports fans. Detroit is a bad matchup for the purple franchise, or at least has been in recent memory.”
“The suddenly roaring Lions have won five straight against the Vikings, and even O’Connell’s one win right before that losing streak was a nailbiter in which Dan Campbell’s uber-aggressive nature didn’t prevail. Just last season, in Week 18, the table was set for the game of the year when the Lions hosted the Vikes for the final showdown of the regular season.”
O’Connell has beaten the Lions just once — his first attempt in 2022.
Eckardt continued, “The winner would directly march into the divisional round with home-field advantage throughout the NFC postseason picture; the loser would travel to Los Angeles (it turned out to be Arizona due to the California wildfires) just a week later. Well, the Vikings got spanked. Sam Darnold seemingly lost all ability, similar to Charles Barkley in Space Jam. He missed more throws than he hit, and the defense was carved up by Jahmyr Gibbs in the second half after keeping the club in the game in the first.”
“The Bank should be rocking on Christmas, and it could be one of the most important games of the season.”
Vegas expects the Vikings to win eight or nine games this season while finishing in third or fourth place inside the NFC North. The Lions and Packers lead the way per sportsbooks’ favor, picked to finish first and second, respectively.
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