Brace Hemmelgarn USATODAY Sports
The Minnesota Vikings finally have a long-term solution at quarterback, and they have to be considered a team on the rise overall.
Questions and speculation surrounding the future of running back Adrian Peterson will dominate the headlines, until a resolution comes. But that should not obscure a bright future for the Vikings, heading into Mike Zimmer’s second season as head coach.
Here’s a look at Minnesota’s 2015 regular season schedule.
Week 1 (9/14/15) –@ San Francisco 49ers-Monday Night
Week 2 (9/20/15)- Detroit Lions
Week 3 (9/27/15)-San Diego Chargers
Week 4 (10/4/15)- @ Denver Broncos
Week 5- Bye
Week 6 (10/18/15)- Kansas City Chiefs
Week 7 (10/25/15)- @ Detroit Lions
Week 8 (11/1/15)- @ Chicago Bears
Week 9 (11/8/15- St. Louis Rams
Week 10 (11/15/15)-@ Oakland Raiders
Week 11 (11/22/15- Green Bay Packers
Week 12 (11/29/15)-@ Atlanta Falcons
Week 13 (12/6/15)-Seattle Seahawks
Week 14 (12/10/15)-@ Arizona Cardinals (Thursday Night)
Week 15 (12/20/15)- Chicago Bears
Week 16 (12/27/15)- New York Giants
Week 17 (1/3/16)- @ Green Bay Packers
Schedule Highlights
The Vikings will take on each team in the AFC and NFC West during the 2015 season, highlighted by road trips to Arizona, San Francisco and Denver along with a home game against the two-time defending NFC champion Seahawks.
The Week 10 game against the Raiders carries a bit of extra intrigue, with a former Vikings’ head coach (Mike Tice) and offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave) on Oakland’s coaching staff and former first-round pick Christian Ponder signed to be Derek Carr’s backup.
The Vikings will open the season in the second game of the customary Monday night doubleheader, against San Francisco. It’s the seventh time in eight years they will start the season on the road.
The Chargers will come to Minnesota for the first time since 2007, when Adrian Peterson set the single-game rushing record (296 yards). Will Peterson be in the other team’s uniform this time around?
Toughest Stretch
Week 11-Week 14 stands out to me as the toughest stretch for the Vikings, with home games against the Packers (Week 11) and Seahawks (Week 13) surrounded by road trips to take on the Falcons (Week 12) and Cardinals (Week 14). A short week ahead of the game against Arizona, after what is sure to be a tough game against Seattle, looks like a big challenge.
Easiest Stretch
Week 1-Week 4 would ordinarily look difficult, but all four teams look vulnerable to me right now. The 49ers have had some some key player losses and they have a new head coach, while the Lions, Chargers and Broncos have potential shortcomings that could be exploited. A 2-2 record heading into their bye week is a reasonable expectation for the Vikings, and 3-1 is not out of the question.
Depending on how you feel about the Bears under a new regime, Week 8-10 doesn’t look particularly daunting for Minnesota. Two wins in that three-game stretch should be the minimum expectation.
Brad Berreman is a Columnist/Senior Writer at Rant Sports.com. Follow him on Twitter.
