Packers Fans Outraged by Vikings Rumor
There’s always something to complain about, and Green Bay Packers-themed media and fans have found the latest item.
A Packers website is pissed about scheduling rumors for the Vikings.
This time, they’re upset that the Minnesota Vikings may play back-to-back games overseas this autumn, claiming it provides an unfair advantage.
One might toss this one into the “you can’t make it up” category.
Rumors Claim MIN Will Play in Ireland, England Back-to-Back
To set the table, reputable NFL reporting has hinted that the Vikings will play the Pittsburgh Steelers in Dublin, Ireland, in Week 4 and the Cleveland Browns in London, England, the following week. It’s a weird ordeal for Minnesota, mainly because the franchise has never experienced back-to-back overseas contests.
Both games will be classified as road affairs, unlike last year when Minnesota played a “home” game at London versus the New York Jets.
Packers-Themed Website Bemoans Int’l Games for Vikings
And one branch of Packers media teed off on the international Vikings rumor. LombardiAve.com‘s Freddie Boston claimed this week that the NFL is “gift wrapping” an advantage to the purple team.
Boston wrote, “Vikings catch a scheduling break, and it’s a slap in the face to the Packers. The Packers were heavily rumored to play in the Dublin game against the Steelers. While Matt LaFleur isn’t a fan of the long-distance overseas games, there is a significant benefit.”
“Minnesota is supposed to play Pittsburgh and Cleveland on the road, but the AFC North rivals lose all home-field advantage by moving the games to a neutral venue. If anything, the Vikings have the upper hand, having played across the pond twice as many times as the Steelers or Browns combined.”
It’s worth noting that many NFL onlookers consider international travel a nuisance, not a perk.
Boston furthered his grievance: “It will be Cleveland’s first international game in eight years and Pittsburgh’s first in 14. Minnesota has played in London twice in the past three seasons. The Vikings also gain another big advantage by playing back-to-back contests. After their game against the Steelers, they will have had additional time to adjust to the time zone change. The Browns, the ‘home’ team, would have to travel halfway across the world and overcome jet lag to take on a Vikings team that had already been in Europe for a week.”
“The Packers will play the Steelers and Browns on the road. Minnesota gets them at neutral sites, and to make it worse, it will have a significant advantage over Cleveland due to the lack of travel and jet lag challenges. Talk about making life easy for Minnesota. The Packers’ path to the NFC North title will become that much tougher if the league gift-wraps a comfortable run for the Vikings.”
Ironically, Some Vikings Fans Don’t Like the Doubleheader
The funny part? Upon learning the international rumors, some Vikings faithful criticized the league for putting Minnesota in a disadvantageous spot. That is — playing two games in Europe consecutively hurts Kevin O’Connell’s squad.
Boston is on to something that hostile crowds will be wiped away in Ireland and England; Minnesota’s fan base is popular overseas, and the Americans travel well.
But no matter how one dices it, two games in two weeks in different countries is unprecedented for Minnesota, and Packers fans are the only ones complaining about it helping the purple team.
MIN Undefeated Overseas
Minnesota played an exhibition game in England during the 1980s and won. If one includes that contest, the Vikings are 5-0 outside the United States and could reach 7-0 by mid-October if the rumors are accurate and the team takes down the Steelers and Browns this fall — two winnable games.
It’s also a bit noteworthy that Minnesota has already played Pittsburgh (2013) and Cleveland (2017) across the pond.
Schedule Out in 4 Days
Both fan bases, from Minnesota and Green Bay, will learn their schedule fates on Wednesday night. The NFL now makes a spectacle of the schedule release, and this year is no different.
NFC teams have eight home games in 2025 — the “off year” per homefield advantage. And neither Minnesota nor Green Bay has an easy schedule, mainly because the NFC North is brutally competitive entering this season.
According to Sharp Football Analysis, Minnesota has the league’s fifth-toughest schedule, and Green Bay checks in at 10th-most challenging.
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