SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO)- The NFL announced the schedule for the 2020 NFL Season on Thursday, May 7.
Coming off of a 10-6 season and a great NFL Draft, the Vikings have high expectations for the upcoming season, but they’ll have some tough competition.
| Week | Vikings Opponent | Opponents 2019 Outcome |
| 1 | Green Bay Packers | 13-3; Lost in NFC Championship |
| 2 | at Indianapolis Colts | 7-9 |
| 3 | Tennessee Titans | 9-7; Lost in AFC Championship |
| 4 | at Houston Texans | 10-6; Lost in AFC Divisional Round |
| 5 | at Seattle Seahawks | 11-5; Lost in NFC Divisional Round |
| 6 | Atlanta Falcons | 7-9 |
| 7 | BYE WEEK | |
| 8 | at Green Bay Packers | 13-3; Lost in NFC Championship |
| 9 | Detroit Lions | 3-12-1 |
| 10 | at Chicago Bears | 8-8 |
| 11 | Dallas Cowboys | 8-8 |
| 12 | Carolina Panthers | 5-11 |
| 13 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 6-10 |
| 14 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 7-9 |
| 15 | Chicago Bears | 8-8 |
| 16 | at New Orleans Saints | 13-3; Lost in NFC Wild Card Round |
| 17 | at Detroit Lions | 3-12-1 |
Playoff Teams in bold
The Vikings will play only six games against 2019 playoff teams, but they do face one of the toughest first halves of the NFL season.
ESPN’s Courney Cronin predicted the Vikings season in an ESPN article on Thursday, May 7. Below her predictions, versus mine.
| Week | Courntey Cornin’s Predictions | Grant Sweeter’s Predictions |
| Week 1- Home vs. Packers | Vikings win (1-0) | Vikings win (1-0) |
| Week 2- At Indianapolis | Vikings win (2-0) | Vikings win (2-0) |
| Week 3- Home vs. Titans | Titans win (2-1) | Vikings win (3-0) |
| Week 4- at Houston | Vikings win (3-1) | Texans win (3-1) |
| Week 5- at Seattle | Seatte wins (3-2) | Seattle wins (3-2) |
| Week 6- Home vs. Falcons | Vikings win (4-2) | Vikings win (4-2) |
| Week 7- Bye Week | (4-2) | (4-2) |
| Week 8- at Packers | Packers win (4-3) | Packers win (4-3) |
| Week 9- Home vs. Lions | Vikings win (5-3) | Vikings win (5-3) |
| Week 10- at Chicago | Bears win (5-4) | Bears win (5-4) |
| Week 11- Home vs. Cowboys | Cowboys win (5-5) | Vikings win (6-4) |
| Week 12- Home vs. Panthers | Vikings win (6-5) | Vikings win (7-4) |
| Week 13- Home vs. Jaguars | Vikings win (7-5) | Vikings win (8-4) |
| Week 14- at Tampa Bay | Tampa Bay wins (7-6) | Vikings win (9-4) |
| Week 15- Home vs. Chicago | Vikings win (8-6) | Vikings win (10-4) |
| Week 16- at Saints (Dec. 25) | Vikings win (9-6) | Saints win (10-5) |
| Week 17- at Detroit | Vikings win (10-6) | Vikings win (11-5) |
Cronin has the Vikings finishing with the same mark as 2019 and ending with a 10-6 record. According to ESPN, the Vikings will finish second in the NFC North behind the Green Bay Packers who finish 11-5.
ESPN also stated, a 10-6 record would be good enough to land the Vikings in seventh in the NFC, one game/spot out of the playoffs.
My predictions have the Green Bay Packers finishing the season with a 12-4 record, earning them the NFC North crown, a game ahead of the Vikings.
However, by earning an 11-5 record, and another team losing, the Vikings would earn the sixth seed in the NFC playoffs (just like 2019), however the Vikings would face the 49ers or Seahawks.
A tough start…
The Vikings face five playoff teams in their first seven games, including three games against teams from conference championships last season (Titans; Packers twice).
To make the start even tougher, the Vikings have to play four of those seven games on the road, including a trip to Green Bay, Seattle and Houston.
While the Vikings will have their hands full to start the season, Minnesota has a considerably easier second half of the season.
Second half success
Minnesota plays five playoff teams and five teams with winning records in the first seven games, but that high level of competition won’t last too long.
The Vikings will have a great opportunity to win a lot of games in the second half of the season.
Five of the last nine games for the Vikings will be played against teams who had a losing record in 2019. Plus, Minnesota will only play one 2019 playoff team, the New Orleans Saints.
Christmas in New Orleans
The Vikings will have several prime time games throughout the 2020 season and one of which is a special Christmas Day contest.
Minnesota will travel to New Orleans for a game at 3:30 on Christmas Day. This will be a rematch of the NFC Wild Card game, which was one of the most watched games in the 2019 NFL season.
The Vikings will also be prime time against the Seahawks on October 11, where they will play at 7:20 on Sunday Night Football.
The Bears will host the Vikings on November 16, which will be ESPN’s Monday Night Football.
The final prime time game is Fox’s NFL game of the week on Sunday, November 22 as the Cowboys come to Minneapolis.
Minnesota is expected to have an interesting 2020 season.
Click the story below to learn more about the 2020 NFL sports season.
