{"id":89640,"date":"2020-06-07T22:22:03","date_gmt":"2020-06-08T02:22:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/?p=89640"},"modified":"2020-06-07T22:22:03","modified_gmt":"2020-06-08T02:22:03","slug":"minnesota-vikings-easiest-games-in-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2020\/06\/07\/minnesota-vikings-easiest-games-in-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"Minnesota Vikings Easiest Games in 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>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 <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/nfl-teams\/vikings\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Minnesota Vikings<\/a>&#8216; eight easiest games, nine being the hardest, 16 being the easiest. The team faces the league&#8217;s tenth-hardest strength of schedule.<\/p>\n<h2>Minnesota Vikings Easiest Games in 2020<\/h2>\n<h3>9. Week 11: vs <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/nfl-teams\/cowboys\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dallas Cowboys<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>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&#8217;t make the playoffs, any game with them has higher stakes because of the &#8220;America&#8217;s Team&#8221; label. With new head coach <strong>Mike McCarthy <\/strong>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&#8217; playoff chances.<\/p>\n<h3>10. Week 12: vs <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/nfl-teams\/panthers\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Carolina Panthers<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>Things don&#8217;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 <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/B\/BridTe00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Teddy Bridgewater<\/a> <\/strong>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.<\/p>\n<h3>11. Week 17: at <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/nfl-teams\/lions\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Detroit Lions<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>For the first time since 2015, the Vikings will not play the<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/nfl-teams\/bears\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Chicago Bears<\/a> 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 <strong>Matt Patricia <\/strong>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.<\/p>\n<h3>12. Week 2: at <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/nfl-teams\/colts\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Indianapolis Colts<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>One of the league&#8217;s most prolific quarterbacks comes to the Colts in <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/R\/RivePh00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Philip Rivers<\/a><\/strong>. The Vikings are 2-1 all-time against Rivers and match up well against them. As far as road games, Indianapolis isn&#8217;t the most taxing flight for a Minnesota team.<\/p>\n<h3>13. Week 15: vs <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/nfl-teams\/bears\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Chicago Bears<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>While the Vikings haven&#8217;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&#8217;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&#8217;t have much to play for in Week 15.<\/p>\n<h3>14. Week 9: vs Detroit Lions<\/h3>\n<p>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&#8217;t lose a single time at home in the 2000s. The Lions will likely start <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/S\/StafMa00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Matthew Stafford<\/a> <\/strong>this time around after <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/B\/BlouDa00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">David Blough<\/a> <\/strong>started in the Vikings victory last season. Even then, the Vikings appear to be the stronger team.<\/p>\n<h3>15. Week 6: vs <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/nfl-teams\/falcons\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Atlanta Falcons<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>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 <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/J\/JoneJu02.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Julio Jones<\/a> <\/strong>out of the game each matchup has been the key. Despite the struggles of <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/R\/RhodXa00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Xavier Rhodes<\/a> <\/strong>in 2019, he was the kryptonite to Jones. Still, the Vikings and Zimmer appear to have the Falcons&#8217; number.<\/p>\n<h3>16. Week 13: vs <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/nfl-teams\/jaguars\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jacksonville Jaguars<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>Jacksonville returns <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/M\/MinsGa00.htm?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Gardner Minshew<\/a> <\/strong>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.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/2020\/06\/07\/minnesota-vikings-most-difficult-games-in-2020\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Be sure to check out the eight toughest games on the Minnesota Vikings 2020 schedule<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"YJzT7dlcRAJEDxxyXA5OGw\" class=\"gie-single\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/1187271036\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'YJzT7dlcRAJEDxxyXA5OGw',sig:'ecWMCxdwAeyrK-edJ3sA7tojvtra5qoQkaljfb2OeAY=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'1187271036',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Minnesota Vikings Easiest Games: As the 2020 NFL season quietly approaches, Last Word on Pro Football once again will look at the schedules of each team.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2166,"featured_media":89677,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[54,26],"tags":[49,61,45,40,2320],"class_list":["post-89640","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-editorials","category-vikings","tag-dallas-cowboys","tag-football","tag-minnesota-vikings","tag-nfl","tag-nfl-schedule"],"modified_by":"John Bava","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89640","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2166"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=89640"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89640\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/89677"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89640"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=89640"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=89640"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}