Inside The Vikings

Vikings' fan turnout for road games continues to be among NFL's best

The Vikings have filled up opponents' stadiums with purple all season long.
Will Ragatz|
Minnesota Vikings fans celebrate a touchdown by wide receiver Jordan Addison (3) in the first quarter at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024.
Minnesota Vikings fans celebrate a touchdown by wide receiver Jordan Addison (3) in the first quarter at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. | Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Minnesota Vikings

A SKOL chant broke out at Nissan Stadium in Nashville as the clock ran out on the Vikings' 23-13 win over the Titans on Sunday. Fans of the home team were filing out of the building, leaving a sea of purple to celebrate Minnesota's eighth win this season.

All year long — and dating back for many years — the Vikings' fan presence at road games has been among the NFL's best. The week before the win in Tennessee, Vikings fans filled the Jaguars' stadium in Jacksonville. And before that, the Rams' state-of-the-art building in Los Angeles.

The Vikings are 8-2 this season and 5-1 away from U.S. Bank Stadium, with wins in New Jersey, Green Bay, London, Jacksonville, and Nashville (plus a loss in LA). Every time they leave Minnesota, whether they travel 300 miles to play the Packers or 4,000 miles to play in England, there are fans in purple and white jerseys there to cheer them on.

It's a strong, passionate fan base that lives and dies with its favorite team despite the heartbreak and lack of Super Bowl victories in the franchise's history. Many Vikings fans travel from Minnesota to these road games, but there are also fans of the team who live all over the United States and beyond.

In game like Sunday's in Nashville, the presence of so many road fans can be a legitimate difference-maker for the Vikings, who also happen to boast one of the league's best home-field advantages in Minneapolis.

"I thought the turnout of our fans was unbelievable," Kevin O'Connell said. "One of the best parts about this job is seeing all the purple when we're on the road like that. It's an awesome feeling knowing we've got the best fan base in the National Football League."

The Vikings have a third consecutive road game coming up this weekend in Chicago. After that, they'll play four of their final six games at home, with trips to Seattle and Detroit mixed in. Then, barring a complete collapse, it'll be playoff time — and they'll need their fans with them every step of the way.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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