EAGAN, Minn. -- The Minnesota Vikings' 2023 schedule was released along with the rest of the NFL slate Thursday.

The Vikings are a trendy pick to take a step back from their 13-4 regular-season record from last season -- the odds are much greater that they will win fewer than 13 games than they are of matching or exceeding that total -- but it's clear that the NFL at least views them as an entertaining team.

Thanks to the presence of receiver Justin Jefferson, the 2022 Offensive Player of the Year, the Vikings will make five prime-time appearances in 2023. That includes two Sunday night games, two on Monday night and one on a Thursday night. It's also quite possible that their Week 18 matchup at the Detroit Lions could be in the national spotlight if its outcome will determine the NFC North title.

Indeed, the Vikings' hopes for repeating as NFC North champions could come down to the final three games of the season, which will include two against the Lions and one against the Green Bay Packers.

Here's what's in store for the Vikings:

Schedule

Sept. 10: vs. Tampa Bay

Sept. 14: at Philadelphia (TNF)

Sept. 24: vs. Los Angeles Chargers

Oct. 1: at. Carolina

Oct. 8: vs. Kansas City

Oct. 15 : at Chicago

Oct. 22: vs. San Francisco (MNF)

Oct. 29: at Green Bay

Nov. 5: at Atlanta

Nov. 12: vs. New Orleans

Nov. 19: at Denver (SNF)

Nov. 27: vs. Chicago (MNF)

Bye

Dec. 10: at Las Vegas

Dec. 17: at Cincinnati

Dec. 24: vs. Detroit

Dec. 31: vs. Green Bay (SNF)

TBD: at Detroit

Strength of schedule: .497, ranked 15th

Over/under: 9.5

Biggest takeaway

It sure looks like the NFL is anticipating a down-to-the-wire divisional race -- or at least a fight for a wild-card spot -- between the Vikings and Lions. There are many factors involved in making a schedule, and Week 18 is always a divisional matchup of some kind, but it's probably not a coincidence that the teams' two matchups will come in Weeks 16 and 18. The Vikings won eight consecutive games against the Lions between 2017 and 2021, but the Lions have won two of the past three. The Vikings would be well-served to capitalize on a relatively soft spot in the middle of their schedule -- they will face only one 2022 playoff team between Weeks 6 to 14 -- to give themselves some breathing room entering that final three-week stretch.

Revenge game

Receiver Adam Thielen will be a part of the Carolina Panthers when the Vikings travel to Charlotte in Week 4. Thielen's 10 years with the Vikings left him with the third-most receptions (534) and receiving touchdowns (55) in team history, trailing Pro Football Hall of Fame members Cris Carter and Randy Moss. But toward the end of last season, the team began focusing on tight end T.J. Hockenson and receiver K.J. Osborn as the primary options opposite Jefferson. Thielen has since suggested that his skill set was not a perfect fit for the scheme of new coach Kevin O'Connell. The Vikings released him in March, and the Panthers signed him to a deal that will pay him $10 million this season and give him a chance to prove that he can still be productive at age 33.

Bold prediction

The Vikings are going to be under .500 in both their first five games and their last five games, which makes those seven in between crucial to their playoff chances. The first five opponents include both Super Bowl LVII participants -- the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles -- as well as the Los Angeles Chargers, another 2022 playoff team. And their final five opponents include one AFC Championship Game participant (Cincinnati Bengals) and three divisional games that are never easy, including two against the Lions and one against the Packers.