The Vikings announced their **2017 regular-season schedule** on Thursday.
Vikings.com is breaking down the four quarters of opponents this season and continuing with the second grouping of games that start with back-to-back divisional contests at Chicago and against Green Bay. Rare opponent Baltimore will make just its second appearance in Minnesota, which will be followed by the Vikings trip to London as the "road" team against the Cleveland Browns.
Week 5
Vikings at Bears by @LindseyMNSports
7:30 p.m. | Monday, Oct. 9 | Soldier Field
Series results
Vikings W-L-T: 58-52-2
Home: 36-21; Away: 22-31-2
Last time in regular season:Vikings defeated Bears 38-10 on Jan. 1, 2017, in Minnesota
Last time in regular season at Chicago:Vikings lost 20-10 to Bears on Oct. 31, 2016
Chicago's 2016 offensive rankings:
Total yards: 5,704 (15th in NFL); Rushing yards: 1,735 (17th); Passing yards: 3,969 (tied for 14th); Points/game: 17.4 (tied for 28th); Sacks allowed/pass play percentage: 5.01 percent (8th); Interception rate: 3.40 percent (29th); Average time of possession: 28:07 (30th)
Chicago's 2016 defensive rankings:
Total yards allowed/game: 346.8 (15th); Rushing yards allowed/game: 121.9 (27th); Passing yards allowed/game: 224.9 (7th); Points allowed/game: 24.9 (24th); Sacks/pass play: 6.98 percent (8th); Interception rate: 1.51 percent (28th)
Icebreakers:The Vikings are looking to notch a second consecutive win over Chicago after closing out their 2016 regular season by defeating the Bears at U.S. Bank Stadium. … The Vikings will look to record a win at Chicago after only notching just one victory out their past eight trips to Soldier Field. Minnesota snapped the streak with a win on Nov. 1, 2015 but fell short on last season's visit. … Rookie running back Jordan Howard was the Bears leading rusher in 2016 and racked up 288 yards and one touchdown over two meetings with the Vikings. … Minnesota's defense faced two different Bears quarterbacks last season in Jay Cutler and Matt Barkley but will likely see Mike Glennon in 2017 after he signed with Chicago as a free agent. … Wide receiver Alshon Jeffery, second on the team in receiving in 2016, is no longer with the Bears after signing with Philadelphia in March. … The Bears in 2016 ranked 15th in the league for yards per game (356.5) and were No. 5 for yards per play (5.90).
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.
Week 6
Vikings vs. Packersby @EricLSmith
Noon* | Sunday, Oct. 15 | U.S. Bank Stadium
Series results
Vikings W-L-T: 51-60-2
Home: 27-28; Away: 24-32-2
Last time in regular season:Packers defeated Vikings 38-25 on Dec. 24, 2016, in Green Bay
Last time in regular season in Minnesota:Vikings defeated Packers 17-14 on Sept. 18, 2016
Green Bay's 2016 offensive rankings:
Total yards: 5,900 (8th in NFL); Rushing yards: 1,701 (20th); Passing yards: 4,199 (7th); Points/game: 27.0 (4th); Sacks allowed/pass play percentage: 5.65 percent (13th); Interception rate: 1.29 percent (5th); Average time of possession: 31:14 (5th)
Green Bay's 2016 defensive rankings:
Total yards allowed/game: 363.9 (22nd); Rushing yards allowed/game: 94.7 (8th); Passing yards allowed/game: 269.3 (31st); Points allowed/game: 24.3 (21st); Sacks/pass play: 7.01 percent (7th); Interception rate: 2.98 percent (5th)
Icebreakers (this one will preview whichever the first matchup is):The Vikings are looking to get back on the winning track against the Packers after losing in Green Bay in Week 16 of last season. …The Vikings defeated the Packers at home last season in the opener of U.S. Bank Stadium. …. The teams have split their past four matchups and each have claimed the NFC North title over the past two seasons. … Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw for 4,428 yards with 40 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 2016. … Green Bay lost a handful of players in free agency, including guard T.J. Lang, running back Eddie Lacy and safety Micah Hyde. … The Packers signed tight end Martellus Bennett as a free agent this offseason. … Green Bay went 10-6 in 2016 despite having a 4-6 record at one point.
Week 7
Vikings vs. Ravensby @EricLSmith
Noon* | Sunday, Oct. 22 | U.S. Bank Stadium
Series results
Vikings W-L-T: 2-3
Home: 1-0; Away: 1-3
Last time in regular season:Ravens defeated Vikings 29-26 on Dec. 8, 2013, in Baltimore
Last time in regular season in Minnesota:Vikings defeated Ravens 33-31 on Oct. 18, 2009
Baltimore's 2016 offensive rankings:
Total yards: 5,563 (17th in NFL); Rushing yards: 1,463 (28th); Passing yards: 4,100 (12th); Points/game: 21.4 (21st); Sacks allowed/pass play percentage: 4.86 percent (7th); Interception rate: 2.36 percent (18th); Average time of possession: 30:46 (9th)
Baltimore's 2016 defensive rankings:
Total yards allowed/game: 322.1 (7th); Rushing yards allowed/game: 89.4 (5th); Passing yards allowed/game: 232.8 (9th); Points allowed/game: 20.1 (9th); Sacks/pass play: 5.36 percent (24th); Interception rate: 3.11 percent (1st)
Icebreakers:The Vikings and Ravens have only played five times against each other, the second-fewest games the Vikings have against a single opponent. Minnesota has played the Texans just four times. … This will be just the second time the Vikings have hosted the Ravens. … Baltimore's defense lead the league with an interception rate of 3.11 percent last season. … Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco threw for 4,317 yards with 20 touchdowns and 15 interceptions in 2016. … Former Vikings wide receiver Mike Wallace had 72 receptions for 1,017 yards and four touchdowns last season. … The Ravens tied for fourth in the league with 28 takeaways in 2016. … Baltimore kicker Justin Tucker led the league in field goal percentage in 2016 at 97.4 percent. Tucker, an All-Pro, made 38 of 39 field goal attempts and made all 27 of his extra point tries.
Week 8
Vikings at Browns (in London)by @EricLSmith
8:30 a.m. | Sunday, Oct. 29 | Twickenham Stadium
Series results
Vikings W-L-T: 11-4
Home: 7-2; Away: 4-2
Last time in regular season:Browns defeated Vikings 31-27 on Sept. 22, 2013, in Minnesota
Last time in regular season in London:Teams have never met in London
Cleveland's 2016 offensive rankings:
Total yards: 4,976 (30th in NFL); Rushing yards: 1,712 (19th); Passing yards: 3,264 (28th); Points/game: 16.5 (31st); Sacks allowed/pass play percentage: 11.64 percent (32nd); Interception rate: 2.47 percent (19th); Average time of possession: 27:44 (31st)
Cleveland's 2016 defensive rankings:
Total yards allowed/game: 392.4 (31st); Rushing yards allowed/game: 142.7 (31st); Passing yards allowed/game: 249.8 (21st); Points allowed/game: 28.3 (30th); Sacks/pass play: 4.79 percent (29th); Interception rate: 1.84 percent (23rd)
Icebreakers:This will mark the Vikings second trip across the pond to London for a regular-season game, and their first as the road team. … Minnesota earned a 34-27 win over Pittsburgh in 2013 in front of 83,518 at London's Wembley Stadium. … This will be Cleveland's first game in London. … The Browns hold the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft after finishing a league-worst 1-15 last season. … Cleveland hasn't had a winning season since 2007 when it went 10-6. … The Browns used five different quarterbacks in 2016. … Vikings defensive end Brian Robison had a sack, and safety Harrison Smith recorded an interception in Minnesota's most recent game against the Browns. … This will be Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer's first meeting against Cleveland as a head coach.
- Time subject to change due to flex scheduling.
