Ranking Every Vikings Game in 2020 From Easiest to Toughest
To celebrate the release of the Vikings' 2020 schedule, let's go ahead and rank all sixteen games from the easiest matchup on the slate to the absolute toughest. We'll break them into tiers to help you get a sense of which games the Vikings should win, which games are toss-ups, and which ones are going to be difficult.
Read: Five Takeaways From the Vikings' 2020 Schedule
Tier 1: Games the Vikings should win
16. Week 13 vs. Jaguars
This is the obvious answer as the easiest game on the Vikings' schedule. The Jaguars went 6-10 last year and are still riding with Gardner Minshew as their quarterback. He's going to have a tough time in U.S. Bank Stadium.
15. Week 9 vs. Lions
The Vikings have won five straight games against the Lions, who went just 3-12-1 last year. They should be better in 2020, but not by a lot.
14. Week 12 vs. Panthers
If fans are allowed to attend games this season, Teddy Bridgewater is going to get a massive standing ovation in his return to Minnesota. Once the game starts, he's probably not leading a rebuilding team to a road upset.
13. Week 17 at Lions
I would be very surprised if the Lions had anything to play for in this game, while the Vikings will hopefully have a playoff spot or seeding on the line.
12. Week 15 vs. Bears
This might seem like an odd placement considering the Bears have won four straight against the Vikings. But the Vikings rested their starters in last year's game in Minneapolis and had won five straight against Chicago at home prior to 2018. Neither Mitch Trubisky nor Nick Foles should scare Mike Zimmer's defense much.
11. Week 6 vs. Falcons
The Vikings only needed to throw ten passes to beat the Falcons at U.S. Bank Stadium in last year's opener. They'll rely heavily on Dalvin Cook again and exploit the Falcons' poor pass protection to get after Matt Ryan.
Tier 2: Vikings should have a slight edge
10. Week 2 at Colts
I was tempted to put this game in the first tier, but the Colts have enough talent that they won't be easy to take down on the road. The reason I'm confident in the Vikings in this one is because of how awful Philip Rivers played against them when he was with the Chargers last year.
9. Week 4 at Texans
The Texans made the worst trade of the entire offseason when they gave up DeAndre Hopkins for a minimal return, but they still have Deshaun Watson. The issue is that their defense isn't particularly fearsome anymore.
8. Week 1 vs. Packers
The Vikings had won three straight games against the Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium before falling without Dalvin Cook last year. Aaron Rodgers will always make Green Bay a tough team to beat, but the Packers didn't get better this offseason and seem primed to regress from 13 wins.
Tier 3: True toss-ups
7. Week 3 vs. Titans
The Titans made it to the AFC Championship game last year behind a strong defense, the running of Derrick Henry, and efficient play from Ryan Tannehill. Sound like a familiar strategy? This one will be an early-season slugfest in Minneapolis.
6. Week 11 vs. Cowboys
The Cowboys' offense got even better with the addition of CeeDee Lamb in the first round. Defending Lamb, Amari Cooper, and Michael Gallup will be a tall task for the Vikings' young cornerbacks. Still, the Vikings beat Dallas on the road last year so they'll be confident heading into this one.
Tier 4: Vikings will be underdogs
5. Week 10 at Bears (Monday night)
On paper, this game might not warrant a spot in the top five, especially given the Bears' QB situation. But there's just something about Soldier Field in primetime that terrifies me. The Bears' defense is still really good, which might be an issue.
4. Week 16 at Saints (Friday)
The Vikings walked into the Superdome during last year's playoffs and knocked off the Saints, so who's to say they can't do it again on Christmas Day? Well, Drew Brees and Michael Thomas might have something to say about it. The Saints are going to be fired up for revenge in this one.
3. Week 14 at Buccaneers
Tom Brady, Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Rob Gronkowski on one offense is going to be a lot of fun to watch in 2020. It's not going to be a lot of fun for Zimmer and the Vikings to defend against Tampa's offense in this game.
2. Week 8 at Packers
The good news is that the Vikings will be coming off of their bye week for this game, giving them two full weeks to prepare for a huge matchup at Lambeau Field. The bad news is that the Packers are very tough to beat at home.
1. Week 5 at Seahawks
Death, taxes, and the Vikings playing a primetime game in Seattle. It's happening for the third straight year, and it's going to be Minnesota's toughest game of the season. Russell Wilson is still probably the most underrated elite quarterback in the NFL.
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