The Vikings' Complete (Rumored and Unofficial) 2024 Regular Season Schedule
Nothing is official until the NFL announces the schedule at 7 p.m. central time this evening, so don't go buying any non-refundable plane tickets just yet. But as is the case seemingly every year, the Vikings' schedule has leaked out on the internet ahead of the official release. Last year, the leaks were spot on, so I'd imagine that'll be the case once again. Here's what we've got, with home games in bold. All of the game times and TV channels will be revealed tonight.
- Week 1: at New York Giants (9/8)
- Week 2: San Francisco 49ers (9/15)
- Week 3: Houston Texans (9/22)
- Week 4: at Green Bay Packers (9/29)
- Week 5: New York Jets (London, 10/6, 8:30 a.m. CT)
- Week 6: BYE
- Week 7: Detroit Lions (10/20)
- Week 8: at Los Angeles Rams (Thursday Night Football, 10/24)
- Week 9: Indianapolis Colts (11/3)
- Week 10: at Jacksonville Jaguars (11/10)
- Week 11: at Tennessee Titans (11/17)
- Week 12: at Chicago Bears (11/24)
- Week 13: Arizona Cardinals (12/1)
- Week 14: Atlanta Falcons (12/8)
- Week 15: Chicago Bears (Monday Night Football, 12/16)
- Week 16: at Seattle Seahawks (12/22)
- Week 17: Green Bay Packers (12/29)
- Week 18: at Detroit Lions (1/5)
A few quick takeaways:
- That's a very tough opening stretch. After the season opener against the Giants, five of the Vikings' next six games are against teams that made the playoffs last year. The only team in that stretch from Weeks 2-8 that didn't make the playoffs is the Jets, and they're expected to be a legitimate contender this season if Aaron Rodgers stays healthy. That'll be a tough one in London. The Vikings might be lucky to be 3-4 after their first seven games.
- The early bye sets up as an obvious potential opportunity to transition to J.J. McCarthy at quarterback. If Sam Darnold doesn't play particularly well over the first five games and McCarthy shows the coaching staff that he's ready, he could theoretically make his debut at home against the rival Lions in Week 7 after getting the bye week to prepare.
- The second half of the season is much easier, at least on paper. The only 2023 playoff teams the Vikings will face in the final ten games of the season are the rematches against the Packers and Lions to close out the year. They don't play a single playoff team from Week 9 through Week 16. That run starts with three straight games against the AFC South and includes a stretch with four home games in five weeks. The Vikings will likely need to have a big November and December to be in the playoff mix.
- Danielle Hunter makes his return to U.S. Bank Stadium in Week 3, but the most highly-anticipated game will be Kirk Cousins' return to Minnesota in Week 14. Also keep an eye on a potential Aaron Jones revenge game at Lambeau Field in Week 4. The early game in Green Bay means no risk of snow or frigid temperatures, which is nice.
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WILL RAGATZ
Will Ragatz is the publisher of Inside the Vikings, an SI.com channel in the Fan Nation network. He's in his fourth season as a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat writer, covering the team at practices, games, and all offseason long. Will posts daily Vikings articles year-round. Not only is he on top of all the latest news, he provides the analysis and context to put the news into perspective. He knows the team inside and out, which allows him to bring depth and quality to his coverage. From free agency to the draft to training camp and the NFL season, Will covers every relevant story surrounding the Vikings. Prior to taking this role in 2019, Will attended Northwestern University and studied at the renowned Medill School of Journalism. As a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball, among other sports, for SB Nation's Inside NU. Will was a co-editor-in-chief of the site during his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned at Sports Illustrated's newsroom in New York City, writing articles primarily on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com. A native of Minneapolis who still resides in the city, Will grew up a diehard Minnesota sports fan. He played baseball at Southwest High School and wrote for the student newspaper.