As the 2020 NFL season quietly approaches, Last Word on Pro Football once again will look at the schedules of each team and rank their matchups, from most difficult to easiest games. In this article, we will take a look at the Minnesota Vikings‘ eight easiest games, nine being the hardest, 16 being the easiest. The team faces the league’s tenth-hardest strength of schedule.
Minnesota Vikings Easiest Games in 2020
9. Week 11: vs Dallas Cowboys
It shows how tough the Vikings schedule is in 2020 when the Cowboys show up on this half of the schedule. While the Cowboys didn’t make the playoffs, any game with them has higher stakes because of the “America’s Team” label. With new head coach Mike McCarthy in Dallas, the Vikings will run into an out-of-division coach who knows them as well as anyone. Still, the Vikings beat the Cowboys in a primetime matchup in 2019 that proved to be instrumental in the Vikings’ playoff chances.
10. Week 12: vs Carolina Panthers
Things don’t get much easier the following week for the Vikings as they face off against the Panthers. With a new head coach and former Viking quarterback Teddy Bridgewater at the helm, the Panthers look to rebound in 2020. Bridgewater and the Vikings have lots of mutual respect for each other, but his catastrophic knee injury forced each side to make tough decisions on the future. Even with respect to each other, they will both want to prove they made the correct decision.
11. Week 17: at Detroit Lions
For the first time since 2015, the Vikings will not play the Chicago Bears to end the season. While the Vikings have traditionally fared well in Detroit, the division rival still makes things tough for Minnesota. The Vikings have won the past three meetings and four of the past five meetings at Ford Field. Things could bottom out for head coach Matt Patricia and the Lions would have nothing to play for in Week 17. Still, divisional games are always difficult, so expect the Lions to bring their best.
12. Week 2: at Indianapolis Colts
One of the league’s most prolific quarterbacks comes to the Colts in Philip Rivers. The Vikings are 2-1 all-time against Rivers and match up well against them. As far as road games, Indianapolis isn’t the most taxing flight for a Minnesota team.
13. Week 15: vs Chicago Bears
While the Vikings haven’t had great luck at Soldier Field, they have fared much better at home against the Bears. They have dropped their past two home games to the Bears, but 2018 the Bears appeared to overachieve and couldn’t replicate their success in 2019. The Vikings held their starters out of the 2019 season finale against an inferior Bears team. If the Bears fall apart again, they won’t have much to play for in Week 15.
14. Week 9: vs Detroit Lions
Perhaps nothing has been a better bet within the division for the Vikings than a home game against the Lions. They only lost three times in Minnesota in the 2010s and didn’t lose a single time at home in the 2000s. The Lions will likely start Matthew Stafford this time around after David Blough started in the Vikings victory last season. Even then, the Vikings appear to be the stronger team.
15. Week 6: vs Atlanta Falcons
The Vikings have had great success against the Falcons in recent seasons. Since Zimmer was hired, the Vikings are 4-0 against Atlanta. Their ability to take Julio Jones out of the game each matchup has been the key. Despite the struggles of Xavier Rhodes in 2019, he was the kryptonite to Jones. Still, the Vikings and Zimmer appear to have the Falcons’ number.
16. Week 13: vs Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville returns Gardner Minshew as their quarterback in 2020. Even though he showed promise in 2019, the Jaguars appear to be another team with little to look forward to in 2020, and with a late home matchup, the Vikings should be able to rough Minshew and a poor Jaguars offense up pretty well.
Be sure to check out the eight toughest games on the Minnesota Vikings 2020 schedule.
