The NFL released its 2017 playing schedule on Thursday, meaning we now know the "when" part of equation. The who and where was determined by the 2016 order of finish and the NFL's scheduling formula. There are no perfect schedules out there, but each one is notable for various reasons. Here are 10 of those reasons for the Vikings schedule.
1. Week 1 atmosphere will be electric
A Week 1 home opener is festive enough as it is, but throw in the pomp and circumstance of Monday Night Football and you've got quite the show in store for fans and the teams at U.S. Bank Stadium. The fact that the game is against the New Orleans Saints – who, by the way, hosted Adrian Peterson on a free agent visit a week ago – and the NFL made sure it's first of two Week 1 MNF contests was going to be electric.
2. Two big-time environments in first two weeks
The big-game feel will not go away for the Vikings in Week 2. They will travel to Heinz Field in Pittsburgh for a date with the Steelers. Heinz Field is one of the best places to watch a game in the NFL, plus Mike Zimmer's defense will battle a future Hall of Fame quarterback in Ben Roethlisberger and a dangerous set of offensive weapons that includes wide receiver Antonio Brown.
3. Three short weeks versus division opponents
Division games are the most important ones, and for three of their six division games this season the Vikings will prepare on a short week – coming off a MNF game in Chicago to play Green Bay at home, traveling to Detroit on Thanksgiving Day and playing at Lambeau Field on Saturday, December 23.
4. Three prime time games, plus London and Thanksgiving
The Vikings are scheduled to play under the bright lights and on the big stage of prime time on three occasions. The first is, of course, in Week 1 at home against the Saints on MNF. There's another MNF date on the calendar in Chicago for Week 5 and then the Vikings-Packers game at Lambeau Field in Week 16 will be televised by NBC with kickoff slated for 7:30 p.m. CT. The Vikings also play in London against the Browns as part of the NFL's International Series and they'll once again face the Lions on Thanksgiving.
5. 11 noon CT kickoffs
The "normal" schedule – playing at noon CT on a Sunday – in the NFL is also the preferable schedule for many within the League. From that standpoint, the schedule as it is right now (flex scheduling begins in Week 6) is favorable for the Vikings because they are slated for 11 such kickoffs.
6. One home game in 55-day span
The Vikings will play five of their first eight games at U.S. Bank Stadium. They'll have to pay the piper later, though, with five of their final eight games on the road. That second-half-of-the-season road fest includes a 55-day span from the Monday after the October 22 home game against Baltimore to the December 17 home game against Cincinnati where the team has only one home game.
7. London trip into bye week splits season
The Vikings game against Cleveland in London will be the team's eighth of the regular season and will be followed by a Week 9 bye. This means the Vikings will play eight games after the bye and it means the trip to London and subsequent return to a bye week splits the regular season into equal halves, giving coaches and players a week-long reprieve to recharge and settle down for the second half of the season.
8. Up-close look at another new stadium
The Vikings will travel to Atlanta for a Week 13 showdown against the Falcons. Not only will this game give the Vikings an up-close look at the defending NFC champions, but it will give the Vikings another look at a brand-new stadium. The Vikings opened their own new building in 2016 and the Falcons are opening their new building – Mercedes-Benz stadium – in 2017.
View images of the Vikings opponents after the 2017 schedule was released on Thursday.
QB Drew Brees has thrown for 66,111 passing yards in his 16-year NFL career.
HC Sean Payton is 94-66 in his 10-year career as the head coach of the New Orleans Saints.
Willie Snead and Michael Thomas combined for 13 touchdowns and 2,032 receiving yards in 2016.
RB Le'Veon Bell ran for 1,226 yards, seven touchdowns and had 75 receptions in 2016.
QB Ben Roethlisberger threw for 3,819 yards, 29 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in 2016.
The Vikings are 0-2 in the regular season at Heinz Field.
QB Jameis Winston threw for 4,090 yards, 28 touchdowns and 18 interceptions in 2016.
WR Mike Evans surpassed 1,000 receiving yards for the third time in his three-year career in 2016 (1,321 yards).
In his first season as head coach Dirk Koetter led the Buccaneers to a record above .500 (10-6) for the first time since 2010.
QB Matthew Stafford's quarterback rating of 71.6 in 2016 was the best of his eight-year career.
WR Golden Tate caught 91 passes for 1,077 yards and four touchdowns in 2016.
HC Jim Caldwell enters his fourth season as head coach of the Lions with a 27-21 record in Detroit.
WR Cameron Meredith emerged as one of the Bears top targets in 2016 with 888 yards and 66 receptions.
LB Leonard Floyd had 7.0 sacks and 33 combined tackles in his first year in Chicago.
The Vikings are 58-52-2 against the Bears in the all-time series but just 2-9 in the past 11 at Soldier Field.
QB Aaron Rodgers threw for 40 touchdowns last season, his highest total since the 2011 season.
LB Clay Matthews finished the 2016 season with 24 tackles, including 5.0 sacks and a forced fumble in 12 games.
HC Mike McCarthy enters his 12th season as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers with a 114-61-1 record.
LB Terrell Suggs compiled three forced fumbles in his 13th season with the Baltimore Ravens in 2016.
HC John Harbaugh has been the head coach of the Ravens since 2008 and has a record of 85-59 in the regular season.
QB Joe Flacco threw for a career-high of 4,317 passing yards in 2016.
The Vikings will play as the road team against the Cleveland Browns at Twickenham Stadium in London in Week 8.
LB Jamie Collins had two interceptions, two forced fumbles and 79 combined tackles with the Patriots and Browns in 2016.
Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer coached with Hue Jackson for two seasons with the Bengals (2012-13).
Bye Week
QB Kirk Cousins had 4,917 yards, 25 touchdowns and 12 interceptions last season.
CB Josh Norman had 67 combined tackles and three interceptions in his first season in Washington.
The Vikings lost 26-20 against the Redskins at FedEx Field in 2016.
QB Jared Goff, the first overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, went 0-7 as a starter last season.
RB Todd Gurley has run for 1,991 yards in his first two seasons in the NFL.
HC Sean McVay became the youngest head coach in NFL history when he was hired by the Los Angeles Rams earlier this offseason.
WR Marvin Jones had a career-high 930 receiving yards in 2016.
The Vikings are 71-38-2 against the Lions all-time but are 2-3 in the past five at Ford Field.
K Matt Prater hit the game-winning field goal against the Vikings in Detroit on Thanksgiving Day.
WR Julio Jones had 1,409 yards and six touchdowns in 2016.
QB Matt Ryan was the 2016 NFL MVP after posting 4,944 yards, 38 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
The Falcons are set to open their inaugural season in Mercedes Benz Stadium.
QB Cam Newton threw for 3,509 yards, 19 touchdowns and 14 interceptions last season after winning the MVP in 2015.
LB Luke Kuechly compiled 102 combined tackles and one interception in 2016.
The Vikings defeated the Panthers 22-10 at Bank of America Stadium in 2016.
In nine games last season, WR A.J. Green had 66 receptions, 964 yards and four touchdowns before a season-ending injury.
QB Andy Dalton threw for 4,206 yards, 18 touchdowns and eight interceptions in 2016.
Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer coached under Marvin Lewis for six seasons (2008-13) as defensive coordinator of the Bengals.
WR Jordy Nelson caught 97 passes for 1,257 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2016.
RB Ty Montgomery ran for 457 yards and three touchdowns in his transition year from wide receiver to the running back position.
The Vikings are 50-59-2 all-time against the Packers and have split the past two games there.
RB Jordan Howard broke the Bears rookie franchise record with 1,313 rushing yards in 2016.
Since John Fox took over as head coach of the Bears the Vikings are 3-1 against Chicago.
The Bears acquired former Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Mike Glennon in the offseason.
9. Battle tested or battered over the final six weeks
As it often is in the NFL, the final six weeks of the season will be a test for the Vikings. In those six games, the Vikings will play five NFC opponents, five games in December, four total and three consecutive road games, three division games and two games on a short week. If the Vikings don't qualify for the postseason it could be the result of a battering during this brutal stretch, but if they do qualify for the postseason they will do so after becoming battle-tested.
10. Another late-season game at Lambeau
For the third consecutive year, the Vikings will play a late-season game at Lambeau Field. In 2015, they wrestled away the NFC North from Green Bay and in 2016 it was the Packers who came out on top. Will another big-game be in store for this year's late-season Lambeau date? It's likely.
