EAGAN, Minn. – The Vikings (6-4) will visit the Broncos (4-5) at 7:20 p.m. (CT) in Week 11 for NBC's Sunday Night Football.
It will be the 16th overall meeting (regular season) between the teams. Minnesota is 8-7 all-time and 3-4 on the road in the series but seeking its first win at Denver since Oct. 31, 1999.
Fourteen of the 15 meetings between the teams have been decided by one possession, including each of the past 11.
According to Stats Perform, the Vikings have played 44 games decided by one score since the start of the 2020 season. That number is one behind the four-season record of 45 by Washington (2007-10) and the L.A. Chargers (2019-22).
Here are all the ways to catch the action, followed by three things the Vikings.com editorial staff will be watching for during the game.
BROADCAST TV
NBC (KARE 11 in the Twin Cities)
Play-by-Play: Mike Tirico
Analyst: Cris Collinsworth
Sideline reporter: Melissa Stark
ON MOBILE
Because this is a national broadcast, people will be able to watch the game on their iOS mobile devices with the Vikings app or Vikings mobile site (Safari browser only). The Yahoo! Sports app for smartphones and tablets offers another method for viewing live local and prime-time NFL games.
REGIONAL RADIO
KFAN (100.3-FM), KTLK 1130-AM and the five-state Vikings Radio Network
Play-by-Play: Paul Allen
Analyst: Pete Bercich
Sideline reporter: Ben Leber
Note: The pregame radio show on the Vikings Radio Network will begin at 5 p.m. (CT).
Audio Streaming Option: Catch the audio broadcast on your smart devices through the KFAN channel on the iHeart app.
NATIONAL RADIO
Westwood One (check listings)
Play-by-Play: Ryan Radtke
Analyst: Ryan Harris
SPANISH RADIO
Catch the Vikings on Tico Sports at WREY "El Rey" 94.9 FM and 630 AM in the Twin Cities and on Tico-Sports.com, elrey949fm.com and Vikings.com.
Play-by-Play: Gabriel Rios
Analyst: Isaias Zendejas
SATELLITE RADIO
Minnesota: SiriusXM 81 or 226/Or in the app
Denver: SiriusXM 85 or 225/Or in the app
National: SiriusXM 88/Or in the app
ADDITIONAL OPTIONS
Click here for the full bevy of options that include over-the-air, cable, satellite, over-the-top and streaming methods.
NFL+ AND NFL+ PREMIUM
Start your free trial of NFL+ today to watch Vikings preseason games live or on-demand.
NFL+ and NFL+ Premium provide all the action when you are on the go. It is available in the NFL app and at NFL.com/plus.
NFL+ is available for $6.99/month or $39.99/year and offers the following:
- Live out-of-market preseason games across devices
- Live local and prime-time regular-season and postseason games on your phone or tablet
- Live game audio (home, away & national calls) for every game of the season
- NFL Films' on-demand content, ad-free
NFL+ Premium is available for $14.99/month or $79.99/year and offers all the NFL+ features and the following:
- Full game replays across devices (ad-free)
- Condensed game replays across devices (ad-free)
- Coaches film (ad-free)
THREE THINGS WE'LL BE WATCHING
Dobbs' Impact on the Run Game | By Ellis Williams
Since being traded to the Vikings, quarterback Joshua Dobbs has added a new rushing element to Minnesota's offense.
The Vikings have rushed for 100-plus yards in consecutive games for the first time since Week 3 and 4. Versus the Saints, Minnesota used Dobbs as a runner on designed zone-reads and deployed running back Ty Chandler as a direct-snap runner, a play resulting in his first career rushing touchdown.
With starting running back Alexander Mattison in concussion protocol, Head Coach Kevin O'Connell and Offensive Coordinator Wes Phillips said Chandler and running back Kene Nwangwu would be next in line for touches.
"They're gonna have to get experienced real fast. But I love seeing Ty [and] Kene get some carries. Both of them have some juice where they felt a little different than each other," Phillips said. "I thought overall the offensive line picked up in the run game and showed some improvements there. But those two backs, they're really talented guys and the more reps they get, then the more comfortable they will get."
Whoever is in the backfield should benefit from Dobbs' presence. His ability to threaten second-level defenders alters the math of defending the run. His two rushing touchdowns lead the team, and he has scored on the ground in four straight games (including his final two contests with Arizona).
If Dobbs scores Sunday night, then he can become the fourth quarterback since 1970 to rush for a touchdown in five straight games within a season, joining Justin Fields, Cam Newton and Kyler Murray.
Reassigning 'green dot' duties | By Lindsey Young
When the Vikings placed linebacker Jordan Hicks on Injured Reserve, it meant they'd need to transfer his "green dot" helmet duties to someone else. Hicks was designated on game days to wear the helmet fitted with a headset, meaning he received the calls from Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores and relayed them to the safeties and rest of the defense.
Flores spoke to Twin Cities media members earlier this week and acknowledged that rookie linebacker Ivan Pace, Jr., will primarily be the one to take over the responsibility. Anthony Barr was signed to the practice squad this week, but it remains to be seen if Barr would be activated to the active roster as soon as Sunday night in Denver. Pace stepped into the role when Hicks left the game with an injury, and he also wore the green dot helmet plenty during the Vikings preseason games.
"It's good for them to have those reps during the preseason," Flores said of Pace. "I thought he did a nice job of it in-game. I've gotta talk to Ivan a little bit more than I do Jordan, just because there's some reminders that I know Jordan knows, and he's passing out to his teammates, that Ivan in some instances just needs a little bit more. Like any young player. But I thought he did a nice job. I thought he did a good job of getting the calls out, executing the calls, playing fast. We'll need more of that."
Flores explained that typically two or three players wear the green dot helmet during practices, even though only one can wear it during games.
"Ivan will be used to that. It'll just be different that he'll be making the call to the rest of the defense," Flores said. "And then we'll have to practice with someone else, probably Troy Dye and B.A. (Brian Asamoah II) in that role, as well. That's obviously a big part because you've got to get that information out, but then it's the execution piece that's really the most important. Telling the group, 'Hey, we're running Cover 3,' is one thing. But then within a play, depending what they do, we can do this, this or that. Just our overall getting us in the right call between the actual green dot player and the other communicators – primarily the safeties. Just that cohesion's gotta be right and something we'll work on this week."
Disrupting the Renaissance | By Craig Peters
Russell Wilson will turn 35 on Nov. 29. After two rough years (his final in Seattle and first in Denver), he's enjoying a Renaissance period.
Now with Sean Payton in his first season leading the Broncos, Denver is capitalizing on Wilson's abilities at key parts of the field. Vikings.com's Ellis Williams broke that usage down in this week's Game Preview.
From a numbers perspective, Wilson leads the NFL with a touchdown pass percentage of 6.9 so far this season, tossing 18 through nine games to top the 16 he totaled in 15 starts last season.
Wilson led the NFL in 55 sacks (3.67 per game) taken in 2022. This season, he's been sacked 30 times, which is an average of 3.33 per game.
"He's been playing at a high clip for the last few weeks," Flores said. "Obviously we know his history as one of the top players in our league. They've got good skill players, one of the best coaches in the league, and they're doing a nice job. It starts with the O-line and they're doing a good job of protecting him, running the football, they've got good backs, tight ends, receivers. They're playing good football.
"They're a tough, physical team," Flores added. "They're well coached and I think they're starting to hit their stride in a lot of ways. It will be a tough test for us on the road. Denver is a tough place to play. Anybody who has been there knows that, just from altitude to crowd noise to all of it."
All time, Wilson is 6-1 against the Vikings. Straight up anti-Vike, coming up with improbable plays at key moments along the way.
His 17th touchdown pass of 2023 — a 7-yarder to Courtland Sutton after avoiding a blitz in Buffalo on Monday night — has the distinction of being the least probable touchdown in the Next Gen Stats era (3.2 percent likelihood). Initially ruled an incompletion, review confirmed Sutton dragged both feet as he reached over the out-of-bounds line to complete the catch.
Wilson scrambled 16.3 yards, spinning away from pressure by 6-foot-3, 265-pound Shaq Lawson.
Flores has mixed it up to attack quarterbacks as the defense, including sending hybrid safety/linebacker Josh Metellus (listed at 5-11 and 207) last week to affect Derek Carr. Agile nimble blitzers could help against a player with Wilson's continued mobility.
"There's a time and a place for every defensive front, coverage, pressure, blitz, max blitz, drop eight," Flores said. "I think if people think you're going to pressure, you drop eight, it slows some things down, Often times there's more blockers in, there's more coverage people. In a lot of ways, it's just math. If you block seven, there's only three out. If you don't block it, hopefully we get home. If you do block it, then we'll drop eight."
