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          NFL Nation

          Minnesota Vikings' schedule 2020: Grueling road stretch awaits

          • Courtney Cronin, ESPN Staff WriterMay 8, 2020, 12:24 AM
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              Courtney Cronin joined ESPN in 2017, originally covering the Minnesota Vikings before switching to the Chicago Bears in 2022. Courtney is a frequent panelist on Around the Horn and host of Best Week Ever on ESPN Radio. She also co-hosts The Chicago Bears Podcast on ESPN 1000. She previously worked at the San Jose Mercury News as a multimedia sports journalist.

          The Minnesota Vikings' schedule for 2020 was released Thursday.

          The regular season kicks off with the Houston Texans visiting the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday, Sept. 10 (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC). The opening doubleheader for Monday Night Football will feature the Pittsburgh Steelers at the New York Giants (7:10 p.m. ET, ESPN) and the Tennessee Titans at the Denver Broncos (10:20 p.m. ET) on Monday, Sept. 14.

          Check out the full week-by-week schedule here. Here’s what is in store for the Vikings:

          Game-by-game prediction

          Vikings reporter Courtney Cronin is predicting a 10-6 finish:

          Sept. 13: vs. Green Bay, win

          Sept. 20: at Indianapolis, Win

          Sept. 27: vs. Tennessee, Loss

          Oct. 4: at Houston, Win

          Oct. 11: at Seattle, Loss

          Oct. 18: vs. Atlanta, Win

          Oct. 25: Bye

          Nov. 1: at Green Bay, Loss

          Nov. 8: vs. Detroit, Win

          Nov. 16: at Chicago, Loss

          Nov. 22: vs. Dallas, Loss

          Nov. 29: vs. Carolina, Win

          Dec. 6: vs. Jacksonville, Win

          Dec. 13: at Tampa Bay, Loss

          Dec. 20: vs. Chicago, Win

          Dec. 25: at New Orleans, Win

          Jan. 3: at Detroit, Win

          Strength of schedule: .516

          Breakdown

          Coming off a postseason run that ended in a loss at San Francisco in January, the Vikings' path toward getting back to the playoffs includes hosting the Packers in the season opener for the first time in the team’s 60-year history. It also features one of the toughest road schedules in the NFL with three prime-time games away from U.S. Bank Stadium. Based on the 2019 records of their away opponents (Green Bay, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, Seattle, New Orleans, Tampa Bay), the Vikings have the second-hardest road strength of schedule (.566).

          Minnesota plays one outdoor game in Tampa during the final seven weeks of the season and has its earliest bye (Week 7) since 2016. The 2020 season features an expanded playoff format, which will help teams on the bubble crack the postseason. The outlook for the NFC North and the moves made (and not made) by the Bears, Lions and Packers puts Minnesota in position to contend for the division title.

          Christmas on the Bayou

          Move over NBA, the NFL is here to shake things up with a rare Christmas Day game and even rarer Friday matchup. The last time the league scheduled a game on a Friday was in 2009 between the San Diego Chargers and Tennessee Titans which also took place on Dec. 25. Minnesota-New Orleans is the only NFL game scheduled for Christmas, which is set to kick off at 3:30 p.m. CT. This will be the fifth matchup between these two teams since 2017. Five months after beating the Saints in an overtime thriller to advance to the divisional playoffs, the Vikings head back to the Superdome for their second-to-last game of the regular season.

          Still a prime-time team

          The Vikings are still considered one of the most intriguing teams by the NFL based on being scheduled for three of a possible five prime-time games, all on the road. While the Friday, Dec. 25 afternoon game vs. New Orleans will count as their "Thursday" game for this season, the two others that occur at night come in venues that have been notoriously difficult for the Vikings. Minnesota travels to Seattle in Week 5 for a Sunday night showdown against the Seahawks and hits the road for Monday Night Football in Chicago five weeks later on Nov. 16. The Vikings have yet to win a regular season game at Seattle's CenturyLink Field under Mike Zimmer and are 2-4 at Soldier Field in that same time frame. Over the last decade, the Viking are a combined 2-12 in games played at Seattle and Chicago.