The Vikings 2015 schedule has been released. Now that we know all the details of where and when the games will be played, it's time to drill a bit deeper on the matchups. Here's a look at some of the best non-quarterback players the Vikings will face in their 10 preseason and regular season home games in 2015.
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Preseason
Tampa Bay:DT Gerald McCoy
McCoy is as good a player at his position as there is in the League. He is equally disruptive against the pass and the run. But don't sleep on WR Mike Evans, who emerged last season as a rookie and is a lethal offensive threat for the Buccaneers.
Oakland:LB Khalil Mack
Selected with the fifth overall choice in last year's draft, Mack hit the ground running for the Raiders as a rookie by playing and starting all 16 games and covering the stat sheet with 76 tackles, 4.0 sacks, three passes defensed and one forced fumble.
Regular Season
Detroit:WR Calvin Johnson
As good as it gets at any position in the NFL. "Megatron" is a mega-problem for Lions opponents and the Vikings will contend with him twice this season.
San Diego:S Eric Weddle
Perhaps not a household name across the NFL, Weddle is one of the game's best safeties and he is coming off back-to-back 100-tackle seasons. In nine NFL seasons, Weddle has registered 65 pass breakups and 19 interceptions, helping him earn four AP All-Pro selections.
Kansas City:LB Justin Houston
The NFL's single-season sack record of 22.5 has been under assault annually of late, and the most recent challenger to that mark was the Chiefs Justin Houston, who had 22.0 in 2014. In just four seasons, Houston has 48.5 sacks.
St. Louis:DE Robert Quinn
The Rams have one of the best defensive lines in the NFL and Quinn is the best player on it. He had 19.0 sacks in 2013 and registered 10.5-sack season in both 2012 and in 2014. He has 45.5 sacks in just four seasons.
Green Bay: WR Randall Cobb
Cobb would've been one of the best free agents on the market, but Green Bay didn't let him go and instead he'll remain one of Aaron Rodgers' top targets in the passing game. Cobb can also impact the game as a kickoff returner and a runner out of the backfield.
Seattle:CB Richard Sherman
With 24 interceptions in just 58 regular season games, Sherman is as impactful a defender as there is in the NFL. He also brings an attitude and demeanor that has made the "Legion of Boom" a historically significant phenomena.
Chicago:RB Matt Forte
One of the top dual threats in the League, Forte has over 1,000 rushing yards, 102 receptions and 10 total touchdowns for the Bears in 2014 and in two games against the Vikings he totaled 249 yards of offense.
NY Giants:WR Odell Beckham, Jr.
The ability to make all the routine catches and his propensity to make the impossible ones make Beckham, Jr. one of the NFL's newest and brightest stars. In just 12 games last year, OBJ had 91 receptions for 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns.
