Five Takeaways From the Vikings' 2023 Regular Season Schedule

No cold weather games this season will be enjoyable for everyone involved.

Let's go over my five biggest takeaways from the release of the Vikings' 2023 regular season schedule.

1. There are a lot of tough early tests

The Vikings have a nice, winnable home game against the Buccaneers to start the season, but things get real immediately after that. In Week 2, they travel to Philadelphia on a short week to take on the Eagles on Thursday Night Football. Then it's the Chargers and, two weeks later, the Chiefs visiting U.S. Bank Stadium. That means, in a four-week span (Weeks 2 to 5), the Vikings will face Jalen Hurts, Justin Herbert, and Patrick Mahomes. Oh, and they get another final four team, the 49ers, in Week 7. We'll find out just how close Kevin O'Connell's team is to serious contention within the season's first two months.

2. Five primetime games is the franchise's most since 2017

For the first time in six years, the Vikings are set to play five night games.

• Week 2 at Eagles (TNF)
• Week 7 vs. 49ers (MNF)
• Week 11 at Broncos (SNF)
• Week 12 vs. Bears (MNF)
• Week 17 vs. Packers (SNF)

The last three are all eligible to be flexed out, so there's no guarantee the number stays at five. Still, it's a nice reward from the schedule-makers after the Vikings' 13-win 2022 campaign. They'll have plenty of opportunities to show a national audience what they can do. And three of the five night games are home, which is fun because the atmosphere always feels just a little bit more special during primetime contests at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Vikings haven't had three home night games since 2016, the first year in their new arena.

3. Weather is unlikely to be a concern

Last season, the Vikings' final two games were chilly road affairs in Green Bay in Chicago. In 2021, both of those games also came in late December or early January. This year, the Vikings will get their Chicago and Green Bay trips out of the way in October, which means the temperatures probably won't have dropped too low just yet. That's a nice change. The Vikings do have a mid-November night game in Denver and a mid-December game in Cincinnati, but those should both have temps in the mid-40s or warmer.

4. The bye week is a late one

The Vikings' bye doesn't come until Week 13 this season. That means they'll have a 12-week grind to start the year, with a mini-bye mixed in after playing on Thursday night in Week 2. Only once in their history have the Vikings had a later bye week. It'll require a thought-out plan and some mental fortitude to make it to the bye week in good shape, but once it does finally arrive, it'll be a much-needed reset before the home stretch. Speaking of which...

5. The NFC North race could go down to the wire

Coming out of the bye, the Vikings have road games in Las Vegas and Cincinnati. Then they end the season with three straight games against the teams most likely to challenge them for a division title. That includes playing the Lions — the team currently favored to win the NFC North — twice in the final three weeks. The Vikings won't see the Lions all year, and then bang, they've got two games against them in 14 days, sandwiched around a New Year's Eve rivalry showdown against the Packers. Will the division be on the line when the Vikings head to Detroit for the regular season finale? I can't wait to find out.

Picking Every Game on the Vikings' 2023 Schedule: How Many Wins This Season?

Thanks for reading. Make sure to bookmark this site and check back daily for the latest Vikings news and analysis all offseason long. Also, follow me on Twitter and feel free to ask me any questions on there.