EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. –For the first time since 2012, the Vikings will open their season at home.
The Vikings will host the Saints for a *Monday Night Football *showdown on Sept. 11, the early game in a prime-time double-header to start the season.
It will mark just the third time Minnesota has opened on home turf since 2007 and the first home opener at U.S. Bank Stadium.
"I think it's fun," Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer told Vikings.com. "We get to open at home, and I think the fans will be really excited about the game."
The Vikings have played eight of their past 10 season openers on the road. Their most recent Week 1 home matchup was a 26-23 win in overtime against the Jaguars to start a 2012 season that Minnesota finished 10-6.
Since 2000, Minnesota is 9-8 in its season openers and 4-2 in games that kicked off in Minneapolis.
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The Vikings are 18-10 all-time against the Saints and will look to notch a win after four consecutive losses to New Orleans, dating back to the 2009 NFC Championship game that took place on Jan 24, 2010. After the Vikings fell short 31-28, New Orleans hosted Minnesota for the following season's opener on Sept. 9, 2010. The game was a defensive slugfest in which the Saints pulled out a 14-9 win.
The *Monday Night Football *matchup will be just the second time the Vikings and Saints have faced off since Zimmer took the helm in 2014. In Zimmer's first season as a head coach, the Vikings played at New Orleans on Sept. 21 and suffered a 20-9 loss.
Both rosters look different than they did for the teams' last meeting in which Brandin Cooks and Greg Jennings were the Saints and Vikings top offensive performers. Neither receiver remains with the respective clubs.
Of current players, Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr led the defense with a sack and five tackles, and Linval Joseph added four tackles in his third game in Purple. Saints quarterback Drew Brees was 27-of-35 passing for 293 yards and two touchdowns.
The 2017 season will mark the 17th for Brees, who finished the 2016 season with 5,208 passing yards. He is the only quarterback in NFL history to throw for 5,000 yards in a regular season more than once; Dan Marino, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Matthew Stafford have each accomplished the feat a single time. Brees has passed the benchmark five times (2008, 2011-13, 2016).
Seven years and two days since their last time starting the season against Brees, the Vikings will have a chance to turn the tables and open with a victory over a team that's become a high-energy, non-division rivalry.
"New Orleans is a great team," Zimmer said. "Hall of Fame quarterback, a Super-Bowl-winning coach, so it should be a lot of fun."
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)
