The Vikings started last year 5-0 but had a disappointing second half of the season, finishing 8-8 overall. Injuries, lack of depth on the offensive line, and, to put it in honest terms, an offensive running game made things difficult.
What the Vikings Schedule Means: A Record Prediction
So now that the Vikings schedule is out for 2017, what will their record look like when all is set and done? A perfect record would be exceptional, but let’s take a realistic look at games as things stand now.
Monday, September 11 vs, New Orleans Saints – win
The Saints seem to have the same story every year: decent offense with Drew Brees, poor defense. This year, it seems things will be no different. So the Vikings will win this one.
Sam Bradford will pick apart the Saints secondary, and the new additions to the Minnesota offensive line Riley Reiff and Mike Remmers will finally give the oft-injured quarterback time to throw the football.
Sunday, September 17 at Pittsburgh Steelers – loss
This will be a tough loss for the Vikings, but they will probably keep the game close. Still, an away game against Ben Roethlisberger, running back Le’Veon Bell, wide receivers Antonio Brown and Eli Rogers and also tight ends Jesse James and Ladarius Green along with the comeback of wide receiver Martavis Bryant, and this offensive powerhouse will make things rough for the Vikings. With the defense not fully gelling, and in only their second regular season game together, they’re going to struggle.
Sunday, September 24th vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers – win
The Buccaneers are arguably the second best team in the NFC South behind the Falcons, and with the addition on offense of wide receiver DeSean Jackson to compliment wide receivers Mike Evans and Adam Humphries along with tight end Cameron Brate they have the potential for a powerful offense. On the other side of the ball, they’ve added defensive end Chris Baker and safety J.J. Wilcox to the lineups while keeping players like William Gholston, Gerald McCoy, and Robert Ayers.
Coming off a tough loss to the Steelers, the Vikings will come home hot and ready, and the Buccaneers main weakness? Their offensive line. Minnesota will win this one, but not by much.
Sunday, October 1 vs. Detroit Lions and Thursday, November 23rd at Detroit Lions – win and loss
These will be two tough meetings, with the Lions charging in with Matthew Stafford at quarterback but no discernible running game. Still, with the possibility that Detroit will get Miami’s tight end David Njoku, the passing game might not be a total disaster.
The Vikings will take the first game of the two, coming in hyped after a victory over the tough Buccaneers, but the Lions will be ready in November. This series will be split, with the Vikings winning the first meeting, and Detroit taking the second.
Monday, October 9 at Chicago Bears – win
Quarterback Mike Glennon? Really? When Chicago could have stuck with Matt Barkley for one more year, Glennon seems like only a minor upgrade. There’s not much more to be said about this team, except that it will be another year in the NFL basement for the Bears.
This should be a sure win for the Vikings, but they have to be careful they don’t come in too cocky after two wins in a row and relax a bit too much. This is a potential trap game, but Bradford and crew should hold their own.
Sunday, October 15 vs. Green Bay Packers – win
In the offseason, the Packers lost T.J. Lang, center JC Tretter, and defensive back Micah Hyde. At the same time, they gained tight end Martellus Bennett adding to wide receivers Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb and running back Ty Montgomery. Still, Aaron Rodgers bore the weight of most of the offense with little help from his receivers and the horrible Green Bay secondary.
The Vikings will win this game, but probably not by much. The deciding factor will be Rodgers. Bradford should be able to pick apart the defense and the new additions to the Vikings offensive line should keep him relatively safe in the pocket. But the Pack often performs above expectations, thanks to a Superstar quarterback.
Sunday, October 22 vs, Baltimore Ravens – win
The Raven’s offense is, well, dull. With Steve Smith retiring and Kamar Aiken gone, it is even more of a snoozer. Baltimore was not a good team last year either, but they have added some talent on defense with cornerback Brandon Carr and safety Tony Jefferson.
This should result in another Vikings win, but much like the game against Chicago, it depends on confidence and stable play.
Sunday, October 29 vs. Cleveland Browns – win
Cody Kessler is set to be the Cleveland’s starting quarterback. Unless they draft a quarterback and start him instead, the Browns will lose this game and a lot of others.
Dear Sam Bradford and Vikings offense,
Take it easy on the Browns this week. They have families and they are people too. Mike Zimmer, you might want to rest some of your starters this week, at least in the second half.
Signed,
Vikings fans who feel kind of sorry for Browns fans.
Sunday, November 12 at Washington Redskins – win
This is likely the last year for Kirk Cousins, barring a miracle. He doesn’t seem all that happy about it, and could still be traded at draft time.
Either way, by this point in the season the ‘Skins will be tired. In the offseason, they lost defensive end Chris Baker and wide receivers DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon. They did pick up another pass catcher in Terrelle Pryor and linebacker Zach Brown, but without clear leadership at quarterback, the Vikings should win this one.
The primary concern? Coming off an easy win over the Browns and a bye week, the Vikings could be a bit rusty and slow starting. Whether Washington can take advantage of this is a huge question at best.
Sunday, November 19 vs. Los Angeles Rams – win
This offense is shaping up to be one of the worst in the league. They lost Kenny Britt but brought in wideout Robert Woods to replace him. They also brought in offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth to protect young quarterback Jared Goff.
Not enough. This will be another poor year for the Rams, and the Vikings will win this one easily.
Sunday, December 3 at Atlanta Falcons – loss
This will be a tough December loss with the Falcons coming in with quarterback Matt Ryan, wide receiver Julio Jones and running back Devonta Freeman heading a powerful offense. They added nose tackle Dontari Poe to an already impressive defense, and they are essentially the same team as last year.
Sunday, December 10 at Carolina Panthers – win
Cam Newton, despite his on and off performance, last season, is still a solid quarterback. With tight end Greg Olsen and wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin on offense and linebacker Luke Kuechly on defense, the Panthers are a good team, on paper.
Whether that translates to the field or not is another story. If Carolina is on, this will be a tough one for the Vikings, but I am going to say they will win this one against a team struggling to gel.
Sunday, December 17 vs. Cincinnati Bengals – win
Yes, they still have still have wide receiver A.J. Green, but they lost Andrew Whitworth and Kevin Zeitler from the offensive line. Acquiring Andre Smith and linebacker Kevin Minter were both good moves, but without something more on the offensive line, the basement is where the Bengals will live.
The Vikings will take this one as well, but it will be a tougher game than they expect.
Saturday, December 23rd at Green Bay Packers – loss
Aaron Rodgers will be sore from the first time the Vikings beat them this season and will be pushing his team and his teammates for a win and a wildcard in the playoffs.
Minnesota will come in overconfident from their last two wins. This will be another close game, but the Pack will shut them down for sure.
Sunday, December 31 vs. Chicago Bears – win
The Vikings will start their new year and their playoff wildcard run by beating the Bears, again. By this time in the season, Chicago will only be working to spoil someone else’s postseason or make themselves look better. This will be an easy Vikings victory.
With a record of 12-4, the Vikings should be in the playoffs, but a couple really close games could drop that record to 9-7, and make them more of a wildcard. A handful of their wins come against pretty weak teams, so they will have to be mentally prepared if they are going to win post season.
What do you think? How will the Vikings do this season?
