Challenge In October Will Set The Tone

The release of the Vikings schedule comes with several messages. The first, and perhaps the most important is that the NFL believes the Vikings will be one of the most interesting and perhaps memorable teams in the league. They are featured in five prime time broadcasts this season.

It only makes sense, as this team is coming off a 13-4 regular season that saw them win the NFC North title with relative ease.

Even if they don’t finish with as good a regular season record as they did last year, they are likely to win the division title once again.

The season starts off with a very winnable game, as they host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers without Tom Brady and with Baker Mayfield at quarterback. A victory in the first game of the season would be nice, and the season takes on a very familiar tone after that.

The Vikings play the NFC Champion Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday Night Football. Last year the Vikings opened the season with a razor-sharp victory over the Green Bay Packers before going to Philadelphia. Kevin O’Connell and his team blew into Philadelphia with confidence, but the Vikings never had a chance.

The defense simply could not contain Jalen Hurts and his attack, and the offense that would carry the team all season, was overwhelmed by the Philadelphia defense.

The Vikings did not know it at the time, but the game was a watershed moment for the team. The second game of the 2023 season will almost certainly fit that same category.

Minnesota should be prepared when they host the Los Angeles Chargers 10 days after meeting the Eagles. The Chargers were a playoff team a year ago, and their season ended with the most painful of defeats as they managed to blow a 27-0 lead and turn it into a 31-30 defeat. It’s the kind of game that is likely to fuel a team for a full season.

The fourth game of the season is likely to be one of the most emotional of the season. The Vikings go to Carolina and an opportunity to face top draft pick Bryce Young and a reunion with Adam Thielen. The long-time Vikings receiver left as a free agent during the offseason, and both the team and the receiver had nothing but nice things to say about each other. That means that Thielen should be prepared to show the Vikings what a mistake they made in letting him leave.

The home-road makeup of the schedule continues through October as the Vikings host the Super Bowl champion Chiefs, play the Bears on the road, host the Niners on Monday Night Football and meet the Packers in Green Bay.

October is likely to set the tone for the season. Can the Vikings hold their own against the Chiefs and San Francisco? Will they be up for a road game against Justin Fields and Chicago? How will they handle new Packers quarterback Jordan Love? Hopefully, much better than the old Green Bay quarterback who will be toiling for the New York Jets.

After the trip to the not yet Frozen Tundra, it’s another road game against the Atlanta Falcons before coming home to face the New Orleans Saints. Then it’s a Sunday night trip to Denver followed by a Monday night home game with the Bears.

On the surface, the four games in November all seem winnable. However, winnable games in November often turn into some of the greatest challenges of the seasons.

After hosting the Bears, the Vikings have their scheduled bye during Week 13. For O’Connell’s sake, that bye hopefully does not come at a point that’s too late to do the players any good.

If the team comes back refreshed, road games against the Las Vegas Raiders and Cincinnati Bengals will be four-quarter challenges. If not, those games could turn out to be one-sided losses.

The final three games of the season are NFC North battles. Two of those games are with the Detroit Lions, likely to be the Vikings’ biggest challenges for the division title. The other will be a Sunday night home game against the Packers.

Based on last year’s results, Vikings opponents bring a winning percentage of .497 into the 2023 season, meaning the difficulty ranks 15^th. However, the only thing that matters is how the team is prepared in each game.

O’Connell proved he can prepare an offense last season. If new defensive coordinator Brian Flores can do the same with his unit, it has a chance to be a very interesting year.

Schedule

Sept. 10: vs. Tampa Bay

Sept. 14: at Philadelphia (TNF)

Sept. 24: vs. Los Angeles Chargers

Oct. 1: at. Carolina

Oct. 8: vs. Kansas City

Oct. 15 : at Chicago

Oct. 22: vs. San Francisco (MNF)

Oct. 29: at Green Bay

Nov. 5: at Atlanta

Nov. 12: vs. New Orleans

Nov. 19: at Denver (SNF)

Nov. 27: vs. Chicago (MNF)

Bye

Dec. 10: at Las Vegas

Dec. 17: at Cincinnati

Dec. 24: vs. Detroit

Dec. 31: vs. Green Bay (SNF)

TBD: at Detroit