Another Juicy Schedule Rumor for Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings will play back-to-back games in Week 4 and 5 at Dublin and at London, but that may not be all for schedule gems.
The Vikings might have center stage this year, predicted to play the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving.
CBS Sports sized up the impending NFL schedule release, which will hit on Wednesday, and according to Chris Trapasso, Minnesota could play at the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving.
CBS Sports Predicts Thanksgiving Game for Vikings
Trapasso wrote this week, “The release of the schedule is easily my favorite event of the NFL offseason, which is why I decided to do some predictions today. That’s right, I’m so obsessed with the schedule that I’m going to attempt to predict the matchups in some of the biggest games of the season.”
“Let’s check out my predictions for Thanksgiving: The NFL clearly has a preference for this game: Over the past nine years, the Lions have either faced an NFC North rival (seven times) or an AFC team (two times), so it feels like the league will likely go with one of those two options once again. In 2023, the NFL put the Packers in this game during Jordan Love’s first full year as a starter.”
Minnesota last played on Thanksgiving three years ago, knocking off the Mac Jones-led New England Patriots at home in a thriller.
Trapasso continued and delivered the Vikings punchline: “In 2024, the league put the Bears in this game during Caleb Williams’ first year as a starter. In 2025, it wouldn’t be surprising if the league puts the Vikings in this game during what will be J.J. McCarthy’s first year as a starter. Predicted opponent: Vikings or Steelers.”
Don’t Rule out the Cowboys
The Thanksgiving forecast for Minnesota is actually dual-faceted.
The Vikings could play the Cowboys instead.
Trapasso continued, “This is generally the most-watched regular-season game of the year and the numbers could go through the roof if the NFL decides to put the Chiefs here. Possible opponents: Giants, Eagles, Commanders, Packers, Vikings, Cardinals, Chiefs, Chargers.”
He formally predicted the Cowboys’ opponent as the Commanders or Chiefs.
Still, between the two options, Minnesota on Thanksgiving feels realistic.
Fantastic Thanksgiving Record
Thankfully, Minnesota has a sweet historic record on Turkey Day.
Thanksgiving games date back over 100 years, and since the Vikings came into existence in 1961, the franchise has banked an impressive 7-2 (.778) record.
Some Vikings’ win-loss stats — like primetime games before Kevin O’Connell arrived in 2022 — usually ended up on the naughty list, but Thanksgiving is not one.
Christmas an Option for Vikings, Too
Meanwhile, with or without the confirmation of Turkey Day rumors, Minnesota could also play on Christmas.
The rumor isn’t as credible as Thanksgiving, but spend any time on X, the app and website formerly known as Twitter, and Minnesota conducting Christmas business is a popular theory.
The team hasn’t played on Christmas since 2020 — we’re not gonna talk about that game — and it may be due for an appearance.
Don’t rule that possibility out, even if Thanksgiving rumors are confirmed before Wednesday night. In theory, Minnesota could grab both — Thanksgiving and Christmas.
International Docket Already Solidified
Minnesota will head overseas for back-to-back contests in Weeks 4 and 5 in Dublin and London against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns, respectively.
NBC Sports‘ Michael David Smith wrote Tuesday, “The NFL announced today which six games will be played in Europe in 2025 — including two in a row for the Vikings. All six games will be played on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. ET, which means they will be afternoon games in Europe and early-mornings for American fans. In the U.S., all six games will air on NFL Network.”
“A new twist this year is that the Vikings will play in Dublin one week and then play in London a week later, which could function for the NFL as an experiment to see how travel within Europe goes.”
The two-game international docket sets Minnesota up nicely with two quasi-home games, which otherwise would’ve occurred at hostile stadiums in Pittsburgh and Cleveland.
Smith added, “The league is exploring playing more games in Europe, and possibly even locating a team or multiple teams across the pond, and every new scheduling wrinkle is a step toward determining the logistics of that. The Vikings will be the first NFL team ever to play back-to-back-to-back games in three countries, going from the United States to Ireland to England.”
Oddsmakers believe the purple team will win eight or nine games in 2025.
Vikings Big Rumor Put on Hold until July
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