The Minnesota Vikings are set to see their schedule for the first time on Wednesday night, May 14th. It's a big day on the National Football League's calendar, especially since there isn't a lot going on once rookie minicamp ends the weekend prior.
When the schedule came out last year, the first five games looked like a brutal gauntlet that many believed the Vikings would only win one game. They ended up winning all five of them.
What do the schedule makers have in store for the Vikings this year? I have three predictions that are likely to come true based on what I'm hearing.
1. The Vikings will play back-to-back international games
This has been rumored over the last few weeks and I believe it's going to happen. The Vikings will go to Dublin to face the Pittsburgh Steelers in week four and Tottenham in England to face the Cleveland Browns.
It's very interesting that the Vikings will be facing both of those teams, as the Vikings have already faced both teams in international games. They beat the Steelers in 2013 and the Browns in 2017 both in London. It would also be the second and third repeat matchups since the NFL started the International Series with the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Buffalo Bills being the only other repeat matchup.
It's not the only interesting piece of history. The Vikings matchup with the Steelers will become the first matchup in NFL history to be played in three different countries during the regular season.
The other really interesting tidbit about having two games overseas is it gives the Vikings a huge advantage. In a season where they are supposed to play nine games on the road, the two games overseas will essentially turn two of those into neutral site games, which could make a huge difference come the end of the season.
2. Vikings will play on Monday Night Football after international swing
This one is going to be really interesting to see how things fall with the Vikings likely playing two international games.
In 2022, the Vikings didn't have their bye week after their London game against the New Orleans Saints, but they did last season after they beat the New York Jets in week five. The reason the Vikings didn't have a bye week after the Saints game is because they didn't want it to be that early. Head coach Kevin O'Conell took the scheduling the Los Angeles Rams used to travel overseas and maximized it to perfection.
What they can do instead of having a bye week is play on Monday night instead of having a bye week. It'll give the Vikings an extra day to get acclimated to being back in the United States.
3. Vikings will play Green Bay Packers in week 17
The Vikings play the Packers twice per season. When they play them usually varies. However, there has been one constant the last four years.
In each of the last four years, the Vikings have played the Packers in week 17 with the first two games in Green Bay and the last two at U.S. Bank Stadium. They went 1-3 in those games, but they won the most recent matchup last season.
With each team playing a division rival in the final week, the NFL has chosen to prevent one of the better rivalries from being in week 18, because they want it to matter.
