EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — No, Sonny and Cher's "I Got You Babe" isn't likely to blare on alarm clocks the way it woke weatherman Phil Connors (played by Bill Murray) in Groundhog Day, but Vikings fans will have a certain feeling of déjà vu several times this fall.
The final two games of 2017 will mimic the order of 2016 with divisional contests at Green Bay on Dec. 23 and at home against the Bears on Dec. 31.
It will be the third straight season that Minnesota has traveled to Green Bay in Week 16 or later and the third time in four seasons in which the Vikings have capped a year by hosting the Bears.
"It's very similar to what we did last year," Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer told Vikings.com.
Those two critical games will again follow a home game against an AFC opponent. Cincinnati will visit Dec. 17, just a year shy of when Indianapolis came to Minnesota.
Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer will have his first opportunity to coach against his former boss, Bengals Head Coach Marvin Lewis, in a regular-season game. Zimmer was Cincinnati's defensive coordinator from 2008-13.
Tickets to preseason games will be available in the near future via Ticketmaster. To receive updates on availability and future ticket alert, **click here* or for more information contact the Vikings Ticket Office at 612 338 4537.*
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Other similarities in the schedule from a year ago including playing at Washington (Nov. 12) on the same weekend as a year ago, as well as a rematch in Detroit with the Lions on Thanksgiving. It will be Minnesota's eight appearance on the holiday and first time in franchise history to play in consecutive years since 1987-88 when Minnesota won at Dallas and Detroit.
Although the back half of the schedule is loaded with repeats of recent seasons, the front half opens with relative rarities, including starting the season at home for the first time since 2012 and just the third time since 2007.
The home opener against the New Orleans Saints will be the first game of a doubleheader on ESPN's Monday Night Football. *The game will mark the Vikings sixth time to start a season on *Monday Night Football and the second time in three seasons. Minnesota hasn't opened a season at home on *Monday Night Football *since 1972.
"I think the fans will be really excited about the game," Zimmer said. "New Orleans is a great team, a Hall of Fame quarterback, a Super Bowl-winning coach, so it should be a lot of fun."
Minnesota will follow with a rare trip to Pittsburgh, a city the Vikings last visited in 2009. The Steelers have defeated the Vikings in both previous contests at Heinz Field, which opened in 2001. Zimmer is familiar with the venue from his time in Cincinnati.
"The fans are rowdy," Zimmer said. "That time of year, the grass should still be good because it's early. Unfortunately, you get Roethlisberger, who is an unbelievable Hall of Fame quarterback as well. The first two weeks, we start out with two Hall of Famers."
The Vikings most recently played the Steelers when they "hosted" Pittsburgh at Wembley Stadium in London in 2013. Minnesota is set to return to England this fall but will serve as the "visiting" team against the Cleveland Browns. Twickenham Stadium will host the Vikings-Browns game.
After returning from Pittsburgh, the Vikings will host Tampa Bay in Week 3, a season after the Buccaneers finished 10-6 before diving into three in a row against NFC North foes.
The Vikings will host Detroit before visiting the Lions for a fourth-straight season.
Minnesota will then visit Soldier Field to play the Bears on Monday Night Football for a second straight October before returning to host the Packers in Week 6. It will be the third straight season in which Minnesota has hosted Green Bay before making a late-year trip across the border.
"These division games are going to be really important, Detroit, Chicago and Green Bay all in a row," Zimmer said. "We've got to do better in the division and this is a chance. We get two out of three at home, and it will be fun."
The Vikings have five home games before the season's midpoint, leaving just three after their Nov. 5 bye.
Minnesota also on Thursday announced dates and times for its preseason slate:
Pre1: Thursday, Aug. 10 | at Buffalo | 6 p.m. | FOX 9 (in the Twin Cities)
Pre2: Friday, Aug. 18 | at Seattle | 9 p.m. | FOX 9 (in the Twin Cities)
Pre3: Sunday, Aug. 27 | San Francisco | 7 p.m. | NBC
Pre4: Thursday, Aug. 31 | Miami | 7 p.m. | FOX 9 (in the Twin Cities)
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.
Vikings 2017 Schedule
Week 1: Monday, Sept. 11 | New Orleans | ESPN | 6:10 p.m.
Week 2: Sunday, Sept. 17 | at Pittsburgh | FOX | Noon
Week 3: Sunday, Sept. 24 | Tampa Bay | FOX | Noon
Week 4: Sunday, Oct. 1 | Detroit | FOX | Noon
Week 5: Monday, Oct. 9 | at Chicago | ESPN | 7:30 p.m.
Week 6: Sunday, Oct. 15 | Green Bay | FOX | Noon*
Week 7: Sunday, Oct. 22 | Baltimore | CBS | Noon*
Week 8: Sunday, Oct. 29 | at Cleveland (in London) | NFLN | 8:30 a.m.
Week 9: Sunday, Nov. 5 | BYE
Week 10: Sunday, Nov. 12 | at Washington | FOX | Noon*
Week 11: Sunday, Nov. 19 | Los Angeles Rams | FOX | Noon*
Week 12: Thursday, Nov. 23 | at Detroit | FOX | 11:30 a.m.
Week 13: Sunday, Dec. 3 | at Atlanta | FOX | Noon*
Week 14: Sunday, Dec. 10 | at Carolina | CBS | Noon*
Week 15: Sunday, Dec. 17 | Cincinnati | CBS | Noon*
Week 16: Saturday, Dec. 23 | at Green Bay | NBC | 7:30 p.m.
Week 17: Sunday, Dec. 31 | Chicago | FOX | Noon*
(All times are Central; *Time subject to change due to flexible scheduling)
