EAGAN, Minn. – Nothing says kicking off a new season like hosting a Border Battle.
The Minnesota Vikings on Thursday released their 2020 NFL schedule. The 60th campaign in franchise history will get underway at noon (CT) Sept. 13 against the Green Bay Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium.
The rivals have met to open six previous seasons (1962, 1974, 1992, 1994, 2003 and 2008), but this will be the first time that Green Bay has visited Minnesota on Kickoff Weekend.
This will mark the fourth consecutive year for Minnesota to start a season at home.
WEEK 1 · Sun 09/13 · 12:00 PM CDT
WEEK 2 · Sun 09/20 · 12:00 PM CDT
WEEK 3 · Sun 09/27 · 12:00 PM CDT
WEEK 4 · Sun 10/04 · 12:00 PM CDT
WEEK 5 · Sun 10/11 · 7:20 PM CDT
WEEK 6 · Sun 10/18 · 12:00 PM CDT
WEEK 7 - BYE WEEK
WEEK 8 · Sun 11/01 · 12:00 PM CST
WEEK 9 · Sun 11/08 · 12:00 PM CST
WEEK 10 · Mon 11/16 · 7:15 PM CST
WEEK 11 · Sun 11/22 · 3:25 PM CST
WEEK 12 · Sun 11/29 · 12:00 PM CST
WEEK 13 · Sun 12/06 · 12:00 PM CST
WEEK 14 · Sun 12/13 · 12:00 PM CST
WEEK 15 · Sun 12/20 · 12:00 PM CST
WEEK 16 · Fri 12/25 · 3:30 PM CST
WEEK 17 · Sun 01/03 · 12:00 PM CST
Having defeated the Saints in 2017, 49ers in 2018 and Falcons in 2019, the Vikings will look to remain undefeated in season openers at U.S. Bank Stadium. Minnesota also won its 2016 home opener against Green Bay in the venue's inaugural game in Week 2.
After four straight seasons of hosting the Bears in Week 17, Minnesota will see a shake-up in 2020. The Vikings will still wrap up the regular season against a division foe, however, as they're slated to visit the Lions on Jan. 3, 2021.
Minnesota is scheduled for just two prime-time games in 2020, including a Sunday Night Football contest at – you guessed it – Seattle in Week 5. This season will mark the Vikings third straight to play on the road against the Seahawks in prime time, having taken the Monday Night Football stage in 2018 and 2019. The game will be Minnesota's 40th appearance on Sunday Night Football.
Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer joined "Voice of the Vikings" Paul Allen to react to the 2020 schedule and joked that Minnesota is "getting used to" the Pacific Northwest trip.
"At least it's on Sunday night and not a Monday-night [game] this year. That's a good thing," Zimmer said. "We've got five playoff teams in the first seven games, five of them won a game in the postseason last year. It will be a tough start."
The Vikings second prime-time matchup will be on Monday Night Football against the Bears at Soldier Field on Nov. 16.
Minnesota also has a pair of late afternoon games, starting with a 3:25 p.m. (CT) kickoff against the Cowboys Week 11, which will start a three-week stretch at home against Dallas, Carolina and Jacksonville, respectively.
The Panthers matchup is likely to feature former Vikings QB Teddy Bridgewater, who left New Orleans for Carolina in free agency.
"That will be great seeing Teddy again. … He's a great kid, and we wish him all the best – except for that one game," Zimmer quipped. "It's nice to have three home games in a row."
View photos of the Vikings 2020 schedule in photos including all opponents for the regular season.
Week 1 | Sunday, Sept. 13 | 09.13 | NOON | Home vs. Green Bay Packers | U.S. Bank Stadium
Aaron Rodgers - Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers finished 2019, his 15th NFL season, with 4,002 yards, 26 touchdowns and just four interceptions.
The Vikings have played the Packers to open a season six previous times but have never kicked off a campaign by hosting a Border Battle. Green Bay's only appearance in a Minnesota home opener was during Week 2 in 2016 when the Vikings prevailed 17-14 in U.S. Bank Stadium's inaugural game.
Week 2 | Sunday, Sept. 20 | 09.20 | NOON | Away @ Indianapolis Colts | Lucas Oil Stadium
Darius Leonard - Linebacker Darius Leonard hauled in an impressive five interceptions for the Colts in 2019 en route to his first career Pro Bowl.
Marlon Mack - Marlon Mack led the Colts ground attack in 2019, totaling 1,091 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on 247 carries.
![Joe Kapp (Sept. 28, 1969) [7 passing touchdowns against Baltimore Colts] = Vikings quarterback Joe Kapp tied an NFL record in 1969 when he threw for an incredible seven touchdowns against the Baltimore Colts, who moved to Indianapolis in 1984.](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/private/t_new_photo_album_2x/t_lazy/f_auto/vikings/lupn6gwpo05hnkvylukp.jpg)
Joe Kapp (Sept. 28, 1969) [7 passing touchdowns against Baltimore Colts] = Vikings quarterback Joe Kapp tied an NFL record in 1969 when he threw for an incredible seven touchdowns against the Baltimore Colts, who moved to Indianapolis in 1984.
Week 3 | Sunday, Sept. 27 | 09.27 | NOON | Home vs. Tennessee Titans | U.S. Bank Stadium
Derrick Henry - Derrick Henry won the 2019 rushing title with 1,540 yards and tied for the league lead with 16 rushing touchdowns
Kevin Byard - Safety Kevin Byard recorded five interceptions in 2019, which tied for fourth in the league. He has picked off at least four passes in each of the past four seasons.
Eric Kendricks (Sept. 11, 2016) - Eric Kendricks had a 77-yard interception return for a score — his first NFL touchdown — in the most-recent meeting between the teams, back in Week 1 of the 2016 season.
Week 4 | Sunday, Oct. 4 | 10.04 | NOON | Away @ Houston Texans | NRG Stadium
Deshaun Watson - Deshaun Watson set a career-high with 33 total touchdowns in 15 games in 2019. He threw for 26 scores for the second straight season and added seven rushing touchdowns, which tied for second among quarterbacks.
J.J. Watt - J.J. Watt is tied for fourth among active players with 96 career sacks.
Marcus Sherels (Oct. 9, 2016) - Marcus Sherels returned a punt 79 yards for a touchdown in the most-recent meeting between the teams. It was his fifth career punt return for a score and first in a home game.
Week 5 | Sunday, Oct. 11 | 10.11 | 7:20 PM | Away @ Seattle Seahawks | CenturyLink Field
Russell Wilson - Russell Wilson threw a career-low five interceptions in 516 attempts in 2019. Wilson also passed for 4,110 yards and 31 touchdowns.
Bobby Wagner - Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner led the NFL with 159 total tackles (league stats) in 2019.
Anthony Harris (Dec. 2, 2019) - Safety Anthony Harris had a 20-yard interception return for a score against the Seahawks in 2019. It was his first career touchdown.
Week 6 | Sunday, Oct. 18 | 10.18 | NOON | Home vs. Atlanta Falcons | U.S. Bank Stadium
Matt Ryan - Ryan, who is 109-80 as a starter, has recorded 38 game-winning drives and 30 come-from-behind victories.
Julio Jones - Julio Jones has seven Pro Bowls to his credit and a career average of 96.2 yards per game. In four games against Minnesota since 2014, however, Jones has averaged just 48.3 yards per game.
Kevin Williams (Sept. 9, 2007) - Defensive tackle Kevin Williams returned an interception 54 yards for a touchdown to put the Vikings up by seven early in what became a 24-3 victory.
Week 7 | Sunday, Oct. 25 | 10.25 | BYE WEEK
Week 8 | Sunday, Nov. 1 | 11.01 | NOON | Away @ Green Bay Packers | Lambeau Field
Za'Darius Smith - OLB Za'Darius Smith started all 16 games for the first time in his career and totaled 13.5 sacks in his first season with Green Bay.
Taking NFC North title in 2015 - The Vikings closed the 2015 season by defeating the Packers 20-13 at Lambeau Field to win the NFC North.
Week 9 | Sunday, Nov. 8 | 11.08 | NOON | Home vs. Detroit Lions | U.S. Bank Stadium
Matthew Stafford - Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford started 136 straight regular-season games from 2011 to Nov 3, 2019. He missed the final eight games of last season.
Cris Carter's 1,000*th* catch - Receiver Cris Carter hauled in his 1,000th career catch, a four-yard TD pass from Daunte Culpepper, in the first quarter against the Lions on Nov. 30, 2000.
Week 10 | Monday, Nov. 16 | 11.16 | 7:15 PM | Away @ Chicago Bears | Soldier Field
Khalil Mack - Bears edge rusher Khalil Mack led Chicago with five forced fumbles in 2019.
Adrian Peterson (Oct. 14, 2007) - Adrian Peterson racked up 224 rushing yards and three touchdowns (67, 73 and 35 yards) in a 34-31 comeback victory at Soldier Field on Oct. 14, 2007.
Week 11 | Sunday, Nov. 22 | 11.22 | 3:25 PM | Home vs. Dallas Cowboys | U.S. Bank Stadium
Ezekiel Elliott - Ezekiel Elliott ranked fourth in the NFL in rushing yards last season, racking up 1,357 yards and 12 touchdowns on 301 carries.
Jaylon Smith - Linebacker Jaylon Smith started all 16 games for the Cowboys in 2019 and led the team with 142 tackles (league stats) en route to his first career Pro Bowl nod.
Eric Kendricks (Nov. 10, 2019) - Linebacker Eric Kendricks helped the Vikings wrangle the Cowboys on Sunday Night Football in Week 10 last season. Kendricks broke up a fourth-down pass that Dak Prescott intended for running back Ezekiel Elliott.
Week 12 | Sunday, Nov. 29 | 11.29 | NOON | Home vs. Carolina Panthers | U.S. Bank Stadium
Christian McCaffrey - Running back Christian McCaffrey led the NFL with 2,392 combined yards in 2019, joining Roger Craig and Marshall Faulk as the only three players in league history to have more than 1,000 rushing and receiving yards in one season.
Teddy Bridgewater - Former Viking Teddy Bridgewater is poised to make his first start against the Minnesota team that drafted him with the 32nd overall pick of the 2014 NFL Draft.
Adam Thielen (Nov. 30, 2014) - Adam Thielen blocked a punt and returned it 30 yards for his first career touchdown to help the Vikings defeat the Panthers 31-13 on Nov. 30, 2014, a 12-degree day (Wind Chill of minus-7) at the University of Minnesota.
Week 13 | Sunday, Dec. 6 | 12.06 | NOON | Home vs. Jacksonville Jaguars | U.S. Bank Stadium
Gardner Minshew II - Gardner Minshew II threw for 21 touchdowns and only six interceptions in 12 starts as a rookie last season.
Josh Allen - Jaguars edge rusher Josh Allen, the seventh overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft, led Jacksonville with 10.5 sacks.
Randall Cunningham (Dec. 20, 1998) - Randall Cunningham threw three touchdowns (13, 43 and 14 yards) to build a 23-point lead at the end of the third quarter in an eventual 50-10 Vikings victory, a big boost for Minnesota's season points total of 556.
Week 14 | Sunday, Dec. 13 | 12.13 | NOON | Away @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Raymond James Stadium
Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski - Tampa Bay added Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski this offseason. Brady is a six-time Super Bowl champion who ranks second all-time in passing yards (74,571) and passing touchdowns (541). Gronkowski has caught 78 career scores from Brady.
Shaquil Barrett - Shaquil Barrett set a Buccaneers franchise record — and led the NFL — with 19.5 sacks in 2019.
Anthony Barr (Oct. 26, 2014) - This will be Minnesota's first trip to Tampa Bay since 2014, when Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr forced and recovered a fumble before racing 27 yards for the game-winning touchdown.
Week 15 | Sunday, Dec. 20 | 12.20 | NOON | Home vs. Chicago Bears | U.S. Bank Stadium A
Cordarrelle Patterson - Cordarrelle Patterson led the NFL with 825 kickoff return yards in 2019, including a 102-yard touchdown.
Danielle Hunter (Dec. 20, 2015) - This game is scheduled to occur five years to the date of Minnesota's 38-17 win over Chicago at the University of Minnesota. Danielle Hunter recorded 1.5 sacks that night for the first multi-sack game of his career.
Week 16 | Friday, Dec. 25 | 12.25 | 3:30 PM | Away @ New Orleans Saints | Mercedes-Benz Superdome
Cam Jordan - The son of Vikings Ring of Honor member Steve Jordan, Saints defensive end Cam Jordan racked up 15.5 sacks in 2019, which ranked third in the NFL behind Shaquil Barrett (19.5) and Chandler Jones (19.0).
Drew Brees - Entering his 20th NFL season (15th) with the Saints, quarterback Drew Brees has been named to 13 Pro Bowls.
Kyle Rudolph (Jan. 5, 2020) - Kyle Rudolph caught a 4-yard touchdown pass from Kirk Cousins for a 26-20 walk-off Vikings victory that stunned the Saints in overtime of the NFC Wild Card game in January.
Week 17 | Sunday, Jan. 3 | 01.03 | NOON | Away @ Detroit Lions | Ford Field D
Kenny Golladay - Lions receiver Kenny Golladay started all 16 games in 2019, recording 65 catches for a career-high 1,190 yards and a league-best 11 touchdowns.
Kirk Cousins (Oct. 20, 2019) - Kirk Cousins threw for a season-high 338 yards and four touchdowns to help Minnesota notch a 42-30 road win in Detroit last season.
Fans who watched the Vikings stun the Saints in the Wild Card round last season may want to ask Santa for a repeat victory. Minnesota will play in New Orleans at 3:30 p.m. (CT) Christmas Day, which in 2020 lands on a Friday, making for quite a rare occurrence. The Vikings have not played on Christmas Day since 2005, when they faced the Ravens on the road.
Minnesota has a Week 7 bye, the earliest since 2016 when it occurred in Week 6.
Zimmer said it "might be a little early" but that having the bye fall near the middle of the season is OK by him.
"We might have to look at it a little bit different this year, depending on if we need to get a little more work done instead of, in the past when it's been later on, we could give players a little more time off," Zimmer explained.
The Vikings will travel to Indianapolis in Week 2, their first time on the road against the AFC South team since 2012. They'll return home to host the Titans in Week 3 and then head to Houston to face Offensive Coordinator Gary Kubiak's former team in Week 4.
The Falcons will again visit the Vikings in 2020, following up last year's season opener; the two will meet in Week 6 for a noon kickoff before the bye week.
Coming out of the bye, Minnesota will play three consecutive games against NFC North opponents, visiting the Packers and hosting the Lions before facing the Bears in Chicago.
"It's a chance to really get focused after the bye week by understanding the importance of the three division games," Zimmer said.
Another date fans may want to circle on the calendar is Dec. 13, when the Vikings travel to Tampa Bay to face Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski with their new team.
Week 15 will mark Minnesota's final home game of the regular season when it hosts Chicago for a noon kickoff.
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