The Vikings announced their **regular season schedule** Thursday.
We're breaking it down into groups of four games to break the ice on Minnesota's opponents in the 2016 season.
The first grouping includes the season opener at Tennessee, followed by the first regular season game in U.S. Bank Stadium, which will feature a renewal of the Border Battle against Green Bay on Sunday Night Football.
View images of the Vikings opponents after the 2016 schedule was released on Thursday.
Marcus Mariota threw 19 touchdowns for the Titans in 12 games played as a rookie in 2015.
Tennessee's defensive unit ranked 12th in the NFL with 39.0 sacks last season.
The Titans hired former Vikings tight end Mike Mularkey as the team's head coach in January of the offseason.
Clay Matthews recorded 6.5 sacks and one interception in 2015.
Eddie Lacy ran for 100 yards on 22 carries against the Vikings in Minnesota last year.
Mike McCarthy is 49 games over .500 (104-55-1) in 10 seasons as an NFL head coach.
Josh Norman had four interceptions and three forced fumbles in 2015.
Cam Newton won his first NFL MVP award in 2015 and threw for 35 touchdowns and 3,837 yards.
Ron Rivera has led the Panthers to a 47-32-1 record in five seasons as Carolina's head coach.
Eli Manning threw for a career-high 35 touchdowns in 2015.
The Giants defense ranked last in the NFL, allowing a total of 6,725 yards to opponents.
Ben McAdoo was hired as the Giants 17th head coach in January after working as the team's offensive coordinator for the past two seasons.
J.J. Watt has won the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year honor three of the past four seasons.
DeAndre Hopkins was third in the NFL in receiving yards last season (1,521), trailing Antonio Brown and Julio Jones.
Bill O'Brien has led Houston to two 9-7 seasons since taking over as head coach in 2014.
Sam Bradford was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft.
Malcolm Jenkins led Philadelphia with 109 tackles (90 solo), according to NFL.com.
Doug Pederson enters his first season as the head coach of the Eagles. Pederson spent two stints with Green Bay (1996-98 and 2001-04) as a backup to Brett Favre.
Pernell McPhee had 53 tackles, 6.0 sacks, one forced fumble and one interception last season.
Alshon Jeffery had four receiving touchdowns in 2015 after compiling 17 collectively in the previous two seasons.
The Vikings won at Soldier Field for the first time since 2007 last season.
Matt Stafford had a career-high 67.2 completion percentage in 2015.
Detroit's scoring defense ranked 23rd in the NFL last season, allowing 400 total points to opponents.
Jim Caldwell holds an 18-14 overall record as the Lions head coach.
Kirk Cousins compiled a 101.6 passer rating and threw for 4,166 yards in his first full season as a starter for the Redskins.
Jay Gruden led Washington to the playoffs with a 9-7 record in his second season as head coach.
DeAngelo Hall enters his 13 season in the NFL and his eighth year with the Redskins as the league's active leader with 43 career interceptions.
Tyrann Mathieu returns for his fourth season with the Cardinals after tearing his right ACL in December.
Carson Palmer is 16th on the all-time passing touchdown list (259).
Bruce Arians holds a 34-14 regular season record in three seasons as the head coach of Arizona.
Theo Riddick had five receptions for 41 yards against the Vikings in September.
Golden Tate led the Lions with 90 receptions last season. He totaled 813 yards and six receiving touchdowns.
The Vikings came back from a 14-3 deficit to win 28-19 at Ford Field last season.
The Cowboys defense finished last in the NFL in turnover margin last season (minus-22) with 11 takeaways against 33 giveaways by the offense.
Jason Garrett led Dallas to a 12-4 record in 2014, followed by a 4-12 record last season.
Dez Bryant had 16 touchdowns and 1,320 receiving yards in his last full season played in 2014.
Allen Hurns caught 10 touchdowns and had 1,031 receiving yards in his second season with the Jaguars.
The Jaguars defense placed 31st in the NFL, allowing 28.0 points per game by opponents in 2015.
Gus Bradley is 12-36 in three seasons as the Jaguars head coach.
Andrew Luck battled injuries in 2015 and started seven games for the Colts.
Chuck Pagano was 11-5 in his first three years as the head coach of Indianapolis. Last year he led the Colts to an 8-8 record.
The Indianapolis scoring defense was 25th in the NFL in 2015, allowing 25.5 points per game.
Aaron Rodgers had a career-high 572 attempts in 2015, throwing for 3,821 yards and 31 touchdowns.
Julius Peppers is the active leader with 136.0 sacks in the NFL.
The last time the Vikings played at Lambeau Field, Minnesota was crowned as the 2015 NFC North champion.
Jay Cutler compiled the best passer rating (92.3) of his career in 2015.
Tracy Porter had an interception and a forced fumble in the Bears secondary last season.
John Fox enters his second season as the Bears head coach.
Week 1
Vikings at Titansby @pcraigers
Noon | Sept. 11 | Nissan Stadium
Series results(includes Tennessee's time as Houston Oilers/Tennessee Oilers)
Vikings W-L-T: 8-4-0
Home: 7-1-0; Away: 1-3-0
Last time in regular season:Vikings defeated Titans 30-7 on Oct. 7, 2012* *
Last time in regular season at Tennessee:Vikings lost 30-17 on Sept. 28, 2008
Tennessee's 2015 offensive rankings:
Total yards: 4,988 (30th in NFL); Rushing yards: 1,485 (25th); Passing yards: 3,503 (tied for 25th); Points/game: 18.7 (28th); Sacks allowed/pass play percentage: 9.80 percent (30th); Interception rate: 3.09 percent (28th); Average time of possession: 29:25 (23rd)
Tennessee's 2015 defensive rankings:
Total yards allowed/game: 342.2 (12th); Rushing yards allowed/game: 112.3 (18th); Passing yards allowed/game: 229.9 (7th); Points allowed/game: 26.4 (27th); Sacks/pass play: 7.77 percent (6th); Interception rate: 2.19 percent (18th)
Icebreakers:The Vikings are seeking their second straight win against the Titans. Tennessee hired former Vikings tight end (1983-88) Mike Mularkey as head coach after he finished 2015 as the team's interim leader. … Minnesota's most recent trip to Nashville featured marquee running backs Adrian Peterson (18 carries, 80 yards two touchdowns) and Chris Johnson (17-61-2). CJ2K, however, has since departed, and the Titans brought in 2014 rushing champ DeMarco Murray (392 carries, 1,845 yards and 13 rushing touchdowns in Dallas) after a year in Philadelphia in which Murray had 193 carries, 702 yards and six scores. Peterson is coming off winning his third rushing title (327 carries, 1,485 yards, 11 rushing TDs). Murray will be joined in the backfield by 2015 No. 2 overall pick Marcus Mariota, who completed 230 of 370 passes for 2,818 yards and 19 touchdowns as a rookie (91.5 passer rating). Mariota's favorite target was Delanie Walker, who finished ninth in the NFL with 94 receptions (most by a tight end) and made the Pro Bowl. … The Vikings signed former Titans safety Michael Griffin this offseason after the 2007 first rounder spent all of his prior seasons with Tennessee. Two of the five wins posted by the Titans in the past two seasons have occurred in season openers.
Week 2
Vikings vs. Packersby @LindseyMNSports
7:30 p.m. | Sept. 18 | U.S. Bank Stadium
Series results
Vikings W-L-T: 50-59-2
Home: 26-28; Away: 24-31-2
Last time in regular season:Vikings defeated Packers 20-13 on Jan. 3, 2016, in Green Bay
Last time in regular season in Minnesota:Vikings lost 30-13 on Nov. 22, 2015
Green Bay's 2015 offensive rankings:
Total yards: 5,353 (23rd in NFL); Rushing yards: 1,850 (12th); Passing yards: 3,503 (tied for 25th); Points/game: 23.0 (15th); Sacks allowed/pass play percentage: 8.20 percent (24th); Interception rate: 1.40 percent (2nd); Average time of possession: 30:08 (tied for 18th)
Green Bay's 2015 defensive rankings:
Total yards allowed/game: 346.7 (15th); Rushing yards allowed/game: 119.1 (21st); Passing yards allowed/game: 227.6 (6th); Points allowed/game: 20.2 (12th); Sacks/pass play: 7.80 percent (5th); Interception rate: 2.90 percent (7th)
Icebreakers:The Vikings are looking to notch a second consecutive win over Green Bay after dethroning the rival team for the NFC North division title in 2015. … Minnesota last won back-to-back games against the Packers in 2008 and 2009. … Packers QB Aaron Rodgers will enter his 12th NFL season after recording 3,821 passing yards (17th in the NFL) and 31 touchdowns in 2015. … WR Jordy Nelson is expected to return to action for Green Bay after missing the entire 2015 season with a knee injury. In 2014, Nelson ranked fourth in the league for receiving yards (1,519) and second for touchdowns (13). … Packers S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix led the team in tackles with 100. … In the final regular-season game of 2015, the Vikings held Packers leading RB Eddie Lacy to just 34 yards and the entire team to just 76 rushing yards.
Week 3
Vikings at Panthers by@EricLSmith
Noon | Sept. 25 | Bank of America Stadium
Series results
Vikings W-L-T: 7-5-0
Home: 6-3; Away: 1-2
Last time in regular season:Vikings defeated Panthers 31-13 on Nov. 30, 2014, in Minnesota
Last time in regular season in Carolina:Panthers defeated Vikings 35-10 on Oct. 13, 2013
Carolina's 2015 offensive rankings:
Total yards: 5,871 (11th in NFL); Rushing yards: 2,282 (2nd); Passing yards: 3,589 (24th); Points/game: 31.3(1st); Sacks allowed/pass play percentage: 6.59 percent (21st); Interception rate: 2.00 percent (13th); Average time of possession: 31:44 (3rd)
Carolina's 2015 defensive rankings:
Total yards allowed/game: 322.9 (6th); Rushing yards allowed/game: 88.4 (4th); Passing yards allowed/game: 234.5 (11th); Points allowed/game: 19.1 (6th); Sacks/pass play: 6.77 percent (14th); Interception rate: 3.69 percent (1st)
Icebreakers:The Panthers are 19-1 in the regular season since the Vikings beat them in November of 2014. … Carolina is led by the reigning NFL MVP in quarterback Cam Newton, who accounted for 4,473 total yards and 45 total touchdowns in 2015. The 2011 No. 1 overall pick led the Panthers to a 15-1 mark, Newton tallied 10 rushing touchdowns, a total that bested 13 teams last season. … The defending NFC champ's defense also packs a heavy punch behind defensive tackle Kawann Short (11 sacks), linebacker Luke Kuechly (118 total tackles) and cornerback Josh Norman (four interceptions). … The Vikings won't see Carolina defensive end Jared Allen as the former Minnesota fan favorite **retired this offseason**. … Carolina was plus-20 in turnover differential in 2015, the best mark in the league.
Week 4
Vikings vs. Giants by@EricLSmith
7:30 p.m. | Oct. 3 | U.S. Bank Stadium
Series results
Vikings W-L-T: 15-12-0
Home: 7-5; Away: 8-7
Last time in regular season:Vikings defeated Giants 49-17 on Dec. 27, 2015, in Minnesota
Last time in regular season in Minnesota:Same
New York's 2015 offensive rankings:
Total yards: 5,956 (8th in NFL); Rushing yards: 1,609 (18th); Passing yards: 4,347 (7th); Points/game: 26.3 (6th); Sacks allowed/pass play percentage: 4.33 percent (4th); Interception rate: 2.25 percent (16th); Average time of possession: 28:14 (27th)
New York's 2015 defensive rankings:
Total yards allowed/game: 420.3 (32nd); Rushing yards allowed/game: 121.4 (24th); Passing yards allowed/game: 298.9 (32nd); Points allowed/game: 27.6 (30th); Sacks/pass play: 3.61 percent (30th);Interception rate: 2.35 percent (16th)
Icebreakers:The Giants are a familiar opponent, as they were the last regular-season home opponent the Vikings faced. Minnesota's defense forced three turnovers in that victory, including safety Harrison Smith's 35-yard interception return for a touchdown. … New York and Head Coach Tom Coughlin parted ways in the offseason, and the Giants promoted Offensive Coordinator Ben McAdoo. … Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. finished with 96 catches (eighth in NFL) for 1,450 yards (fifth) and 13 touchdowns (tied for fifth) but didn't play against the Vikings due to a suspension. … Including last season's win, the Vikings have won five of the previous seven games against the Giants. … New York ranked in the bottom quarter of the league in numerous defensive categories including total yards allowed, passing yards allowed, points allowed and sacks.
