Ranking every game left on the Minnesota Vikings' schedule by difficulty

The Vikings have 12 games left in the regular season. Let's sort them from toughest to easiest.

Dec 24, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) reacts with Detroit Lions safety Kerby Joseph (31) during the game at U.S. Bank Stadium. / Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

With the 5-0 Vikings on their bye this week, it feels like a good time to reassess their remaining schedule based on what's happened so far this season. Obviously the Vikings have exceeded even the loftiest external expectations with a perfect start against a difficult early slate of opponents, but how have the rest of the teams on their schedule fared?

Heading into Week 6, the Vikings have the 14th-easiest remaining schedule based on current win percentage. Let's rank their 12 regular season games still to come from toughest to easiest.

1. Week 18 at Lions (3-1)

This is nearly three months away, so a lot can change. But the Lions are pretty clearly the best team the Vikings still have to play, and winning in Detroit is inherently more difficult than winning at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Lions are 5th in DVOA so far (the Vikings are 1st!) and appear to be a Super Bowl contender once again. The caveat with any Week 18 game is that the NFC's No. 1 seed could be on the line or absolutely nothing could be on the line.

2. Week 7 vs. Lions (3-1)

This one's gonna be fun. If the Lions beat the Cowboys this week to move to 4-1, first place in the NFC North will be at stake in Minneapolis on October 20. The environment at The Bank figures to be pretty insane for the Vikings' first home game since Week 3. Throw in a potential T.J. Hockenson return and this could be one of the games of the year in the NFL between two excellent, well-rounded teams. Buckle up.

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3. Week 16 at Seahawks (3-2)

The Seahawks have dropped two straight since starting 3-0, but they're still a dangerous team with a high-powered offense. Geno Smith has quite the assembly of weapons in DK Metcalf, Kenneth Walker III, Tyler Lockett, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The defense is solid too, despite giving up 42 to the Lions, and Seattle is always a tough place to play.

4. Week 17 vs. Packers (3-2)

After a pretty lengthy softer stretch of the schedule, the Vikings' last three games are all tough ones, which is why it would be huge to build up a cushion in the division over the next couple months. In between trips to Seattle and Detroit is the rematch against Green Bay at home. Matt LaFleur, Jordan Love, and company will look to make some adjustments and avoid having to climb out of a 28-0 hole this time. Sweeping the Packers with their quarterback healthy for both games (which eliminates 2017) is something the Vikings haven't done since 2009.

5. Week 12 at Bears (3-2)

The Bears aren't currently a better team than the one you'll see next on this list, but playing at Soldier Field is tough and Chicago appears to be on an upward trajectory with No. 1 pick Caleb Williams at the helm. They've won two in a row, including a demolition of the Panthers, and Williams seems to be finding his footing in the NFL. By late November, they might be a handful on the road. Or maybe I've got this one too high and this is an easy Vikings win with Brian Flores going against a rookie QB.

6. Week 14 vs. Falcons (3-2)

The Kirk Cousins revenge game is going to be quite something. ATL Kirko is coming off a 509-yard, four-touchdown performance in the Falcons' epic win over the Buccaneers last week. He's thriving after a rough Week 1 raised questions about the health of his Achilles, and Atlanta has some pieces on defense as well. I can't wait for this game. The Vikings being at home helps a lot.

7. Week 8 at Rams (1-4) (TNF)

I know the Rams are 1-4 and have a horrific defense and no home-field advantage, but it's still Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford. Cooper Kupp and/or Puka Nacua being back for this game would potentially slide it up a couple spots on this list, but that's up in the air. The toughest part of this game is traveling to the west coast on a short week.

8. Week 13 vs. Cardinals (2-3)

Arizona is a tough team to figure out. They hung with the Bills and Lions in losses, destroyed the Rams, got destroyed by the Commanders, and then rallied to beat the 49ers last week. The defense seems bad, but the offense with Kyler Murray, James Conner, Marvin Harrison Jr., and Trey McBride might be pretty good. This is another one where it helps that the Vikings will be at U.S. Bank Stadium.

9. Week 15 vs. Bears (3-2) (MNF)

Again, I don't know if the Bears are good or not, but they might look a lot different in mid-December than they do now. I'll be very curious to see if Williams can keep Chicago in the wild card mix all season.

10. Week 9 vs. Colts (2-3)

The Colts aren't a good team, but they aren't as much of a disaster as the two teams below them in the AFC South standings. This game probably scares the Vikings more if Joe Flacco is at quarterback than if it's Anthony Richardson out there. Either way, Minnesota should roll at home.

11. Week 10 at Jaguars (1-4)

It's a toss-up for the last two spots. The Jags have the worst defense in the league and finally got their first win of the season in Week 5. They're here because Trevor Lawrence theoretically poses a bit more of a threat than Will Levis does.

12. Week 11 at Titans (1-3)

Levis against Flores has 4-5 turnovers written all over it. The Titans' defense is actually solid, but the offense is such a mess that it's hard to imagine them hanging with the Vikings, even in Nashville.