By Sam Ekstrom
We’ve reached the time of year where football prognostications became more tangible. Somehow, it’s not enough knowing exactly who you’re going to play and where you’re going to play them – which we all did with the Vikings’ 2015 opponents – it’s about the exact order in which you play those foes. Believe me, the order means everything.
The order tells you if your team could be poised for a dreaded 0-2 start. It tells you who you’ve got coming out of a bye. It tells you who you’ll have to beat in Week 17 if you absolutely need to win to reach the postseason. It makes the difference between a game being warm weather or cold weather.
The order means everything.
This is also the time of year where every fan of all 32 teams see their squad going 10-6, which unfortunately, is mathematically impossible. Nonetheless, it’s fun to put blinders on and make ungrounded arguments for why your team will be the next ’72 Dolphins. So I’ll help you with that in the space below … but I’ll also tell you why the team could just as easily be the ’08 Lions.
It’s pessimism versus optimism in this kneejerk schedule breakdown. And somewhere in between the two is where the truth lies.
Week 1 – Vikings @ 49ers
The case for a win: Harbaugh’s gone, and San Fran’s linebackers all retired. Peterson will be playing in his first game back in purple and will be untackleable.
The case for a loss: Kickoff won’t be until after 9 p.m. central time on a Monday night – a weird, weird time to start a football game. Levi Stadium crowd will be revved up for the season opener, and the Vikings usually suck on the road. Plus, Peterson probably got traded, so there will be no rushing attack to speak of.
Week 2 – Vikings vs Lions
The case for a win: No more Ndamukong Suh! No more Reggie Bush! The Lions will still be reeling over their brutal playoff loss last season, and they’ll be a vulnerable 0-1 after a Week 1 loss in San Diego.
The case for a loss: Remember what happened last year at TCF Bank Stadium? The Lions demoralized the Vikings 17-3 and sacked Teddy Bridgewater eight times. Probably more of the same with Haloti Ngata now in the mix.
Week 3 – Vikings vs Chargers
The case for a win: The last time the Vikings hosted the Chargers in Minneapolis, Adrian Peterson set the single-game rushing record. He’s sure to do it again, right?
The case for a loss: The AFC has not been the Vikings’ friend of late – they’re 2-6 over the past two seasons against the rival conference.
Week 4 – Vikings @ Broncos
The case for a win: Peyton Manning’s career is on the verge of a nosedive. He’ll throw three wobbly interceptions and people will cry out for Brock Osweiler.
The case for a loss: It’s a hungry Denver team with a quarterback out to prove he’s still better than Tom Brady. Plus, that thin air …
Week 5 – BYE
NOTE: The Week 5 bye is the absolute worst. Not only does it come at a time when the team really doesn’t need the rest that badly, it puts them an awkward half-game ahead or behind in the standings for the next few weeks. Additionally, that’s one more warm-weather weekend you’ll miss out on that will probably be replaced with a 5 degree day at TCF Bank Stadium.
Week 6 – Vikings vs Chiefs
The case for a win: Mike Zimmer knows how to stop the Chiefs from his years in the AFC, not to mention that Alex Smith is still somewhat average.
The case for a loss: Chiefs fans travel well, and they’ll show up in droves to make this seem like a Kansas City home game, only without the great tailgating.
Week 7 – Vikings @ Lions
The case for a win: Detroit already has their bags packed and ready to head overseas for their London game the following week. Their heads won’t be where they should be.
The case for a loss: After that decade of Vikings dominance over Detroit, the law of averages may be coming into play. The Lions could very well have Minnesota’s number for the foreseeable future.
Week 8 – Vikings @ Bears
The case for a win: At some point before we all die, Minnesota has to win at Chicago again. It is bound to happen sooner or later. Why not this year?
The case for a loss: The broken clocks at Soldier Field will strike again, and Mike Zimmer will be outraged.
Week 9 – Vikings vs Rams
The case for a win: Um … Did you see you the Week 1 game last season?
The case for a loss: Oh … Nick Foles is their quarterback now? He’s actually pretty good.
Week 10 – Vikings @ Raiders
The case for a win: Hopefully Teddy Bridgewater is at the point where he routinely takes care of business over bad teams. Hopefully the defense eats Derek Carr alive. Hopefully the Raiders have nothing to play for by this point.
The case for a loss: I can’t even come up with a conceivable reason the Vikings would lose this game, so that’s your ‘case for a loss’ right there: Overconfidence.
Week 11 – Vikings vs Packers
The case for a win: This might be the time of year where Aaron Rodgers suffers his annual shoulder or ankle injury. If so, bring on Scott Tolzien!
The case for a loss: The bad karma that tight end Brandon Bostick brought the Packers is now on the Vikings’ sideline. A botched onside kick will surely be Minnesota’s doom.
Week 12 – Vikings @ Falcons
The case for a win: Unless they found a way to fix their pass rush, Teddy Bridgewater will pick apart their mediocre secondary.
The case for a loss: Devin Hester’s teams always seem to kill the Vikings.
Week 13 – Vikings vs Seahawks
The case for a win: Seattle will lack any kind of meaningful running game after Marshawn Lynch gets suspended for ignoring the media. Don’t forget, too, that the Seahawks are a different and more average team when they’re not playing in front of the 12th Man.
The case for a loss: The Seahawks have a major unfinished-business conquest to complete this season, and it’s quite possible nobody will stand in their way.
Week 14 – Vikings @ Cardinals
The case for a win: Carson Palmer will be sidelined with an injury – again – and Ryan Lindley makes another spot start for Arizona.
The case for a loss: Adrian Peterson, now playing for Arizona, shreds his former team for 250 yards and three touchdowns.
Week 15 – Vikings vs Bears
The case for a win: Jay Cutler, bitter about the Brandon Marshall trade, will be in full pout mode under new coach John Fox.
The case for a loss: Fox will have smartly benched Cutler by this point and put a real quarterback on the field, who happens to be pretty good.
Week 16 – Vikings vs Giants
The case for a win: There will be a lame duck coach and a lame duck quarterback in New York by this point in the season.
The case for a loss: Odell Beckham Jr., will scorch cornerback Captain Munnerlyn repeatedly and make fans upset that the Vikings didn’t trade Peterson for a starting cornerback as they’d talked about.
Week 17 – Vikings @ Packers
The case for a win: Green Bay may have clinched their playoff seed and have nothing to play for. Once again, bring on Scott Tolzien!
The case for a loss: Three years ago, the Vikings beat the Packers in Week 17 to make the playoffs. It’s going to be tough if they need to repeat that, especially at Lambeau.
Sam Ekstrom is a staff writer for Cold Omaha at 105 The Ticket and a play-by-play broadcaster in Burnsville, Minn. Hear him on 105 The Ticket Sunday mornings from 8-10 a.m. on “The Wake Up Call.” Follow him on Twitter @SamEkstrom for further insights.