After finishing 7-9 and missing the playoffs this season, the Minnesota Vikings already know which teams they’ll be playing in the 2021 regular season.
As is always the case, Minnesota will play division foes Chicago, Detroit and Green Bay twice, once at home and once on the road. The remaining 10 games will be against teams from the AFC North and NFC West, and the teams that, like the Vikings, finished third in their division from the NFC East and NFC South.
The 8 home opponents:
- Detroit Lions
- Chicago Bears
- Green Bay Packers
- Los Angeles Rams
- Seattle Seahawks
- Cleveland Browns
- Pittsburgh Steelers
The 8 road opponents:
- Detroit Lions
- Chicago Bears
- Green Bay Packers
- Arizona Cardinals
- San Francisco 49ers
- Baltimore Ravens
- Cincinatti Bengals
- Carolina Panthers
That’s a total of nine games against teams that are in the playoffs this season: two each agains the Bears and Packers, then matchups with the Rams, Seahawks, Browns, Steelers and Ravens.
If the NFL approves expansion to a 17-game schedule, the Vikings would have another game. The league hasn’t announced how that opponent would be selected, though the Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling reports the Vikings would face the Los Angeles Chargers or Denver Broncos.
