EAGAN, Minn. -- The Minnesota Vikings' 2024 schedule was released along with the rest of the NFL slate Wednesday.
The first season of quarterback J.J. McCarthy's career will be a doozy. The Vikings have been assigned seven nationally televised games, including four in the first five weeks of the season. By the end of Week 5, they will have played in three different countries.
Four of those games will be played in prime time, starting with the season opener at Chicago. The Vikings won 14 games last season, and after a free agent frenzy that left them with $315 million in cash commitments for 2025, the NFL is ready to expose them to the world.
Here's what's in store for the Vikings:
Vikings 2025 regular-season schedule
Week 1: Sept. 8 at Chicago Bears (MNF)
Week 2: Sept.14 vs. Atlanta Falcons (SNF)
Week 3: Sept. 21 vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Week 4: Sept. 28 at Pittsburgh Steelers (Dublin)
Week 5: Oct. 5 at Cleveland Browns (London)
Week 6: BYE
Week 7: Oct. 19 vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Week 8: Oct. 23 at Los Angeles Chargers (TNF)
Week 9: Nov. 2 at Detroit Lions
Week 10: Nov. 9 vs. Baltimore Ravens
Week 11: Nov. 16 vs. Bears
Week 12: Nov. 23 at Green Bay Packers
Week 13: Nov. 30 at Seattle Seahawks
Week 14: Dec. 7 vs. Washington Commanders
Week 15: Dec. 14 at Dallas Cowboys (SNF)
Week 16: Dec. 21 at New York Giants
Week 17: Dec. 25 vs. Lions (Christmas Day)
Week 18: TBD vs. Packers*
*Date for Week 18 is to be determined
Strength of schedule: The Vikings are tied for the fifth hardest schedule in the league (opponents had a 0.557 winning percentage in 2024).
Over/Under: 8.5 wins
Biggest takeaway
We've known since January that the Vikings' 2025 opponents would make for a tough season. And indeed, a first glance through the schedule hammers that home. But there are some subtle spots where the Vikings caught a break. The big one is avoiding trips to Pittsburgh and Cleveland, instead getting to play them at neutral sites in Europe. But they'll also get a bye before arguably their most difficult game, at home against the Eagles in Week 7. And they'll get a mini-bye before the first of their two games against the Lions, thanks to a Thursday night game that precedes it.
Circle this date
McCarthy not only will make his NFL debut in prime time on "Monday Night Football," but the Vikings' Week 1 game will be played in his hometown. McCarthy grew up in the Chicago suburb of La Grange Park, Ill., and attended Nazareth Academy for most of his high school career. He was a star youth hockey player there, long before he shifted to football as his primary sport, and his parents still live in the area. McCarthy's career will run parallel to the quarterback the Bears chose instead of him in the 2024 draft: Caleb Williams. That's a lot of storylines to start off a season with.
Key stretch
It's hard to avoid a focus on the first five weeks of the season. As McCarthy tries to get his feet under him, he'll play in front of the entire country four times. He'll start with consecutive prime-time games, and only one of the first five will have a standard 1 p.m. ET start. It doesn't necessarily get easier after that stretch, as they'll host the Eagles and then travel to the Chargers for another nationally televised game. But if the Vikings can make it to their Week 6 bye with their wits about them, McCarthy will have received the most intense indoctrination imaginable.
Bold prediction
The Vikings will enter Week 17 needing to win their final two games in order to make the playoffs. That's not because of the high-profile start to their season, but instead a five-game stretch that will include four road games between Weeks 12 and 16. Their only home game during that period is against the Commanders, and three of the road games -- at Green Bay, Seattle and New York -- are outdoors.
Is it fair for the NFL to impose two games in Europe?
It depends on how you look at it. The Vikings will play the Steelers in Week 4 in Dublin, and then make the short trip to London for their Week 5 game against the Browns. It's true that international games can be grueling for players and coaches, and there is no NFL precedent for teams playing consecutive international games in different cities. On the other hand, the Vikings will avoid trips to Pittsburgh (where they last won in 1995) and Cleveland (where they have won once since 1984). In their history, the Vikings have a 4-0 record in London, including 2-0 since coach Kevin O'Connell arrived in 2022.