The Minnesota Vikings are three weeks away from kicking off training camp and the excitement for the season is getting there. We are going to see J.J. McCarthy take his first snaps as the starting quarterback for the franchise, and fans are excited to see him throw the ball to the likes of Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison.

When we take a look at the schedule moving forward, it's easy to just look at the NFC North games as the most important, especially the last two weeks. Here's the thing: there is zero guarantee the week 17 game against the Detroit Lions and week 18 against the Green Bay Packers will matter for the division like they did last year. It's the main reason why I don't have either of those games on the list. My top five most important games all have a different reason for it.

The top five most important games for the Vikings are all slightly different in why, but they are going to be crucial.

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5. Week 16: @ New York Giants

This is one of the most important games on the schedule, not because the Giants are expected to be some kind of powerhouse moving forward. The importance comes from where the game sits on the schedule.

The two weeks prior to the game, the Vikings host the Washington Commanders and play on Sunday night football at the Dallas Cowboys. The two following weeks have the Vikings hosting the Detroit Lions on a short week on Christmas Day and the Green Bay Packers in the final week of the year. It's a classic trap game for the Vikings, and it also happens to be the only cold weather game on the schedule. 

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4. Week 7: vs. Philadelphia Eagles

This is the ultimate litmus test for the Vikings. The Eagles are coming off of a Super Bowl victory and have one of the deepest rosters in the league filled with star players at premium positions.

If the Vikings really want to compete for a Super Bowl this year, they are going to need to come out and play well against the Eagles to show they are legit. It carries an extra importance because the Vikings are coming off of a bye week. Having that kind of time to prepare is important, and should give the Vikings an advantage.

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3. Week 1: @ Chicago Bears

This one feels obvious for the Vikings. It's the first game of the season and J.J. McCarthy's first-ever NFL start. It also happens to be on Monday Night Football.

This will be the sixth time that the Vikings have opened the season on Monday Night Football and have a 2-3 record in such games.

• 1972: 24-21 loss vs. Washington Commanders
• 2006: 19-16 win @ Washington Commanders
• 2008: 24-19 loss @ Green Bay Packers
• 2015: 20-3 loss @ San Francisco 49ers
• 2017: 29-19 win vs. New Orleans Saints

If McCarthy has a poor first start, it's going to be magnified because it's on national television. Pair that with every Vikings game seemingly weird at Soldier Field, and you have quite the interesting situation when it comes to how he is perceived.

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2. Week 9: @ Detroit Lions

The Vikings will be coming into the game against the Lions on 10 days rest. Normally, that will give you an advantage when it comes to rest. Unfortunately for the Vikings, the Lions will be coming off of a bye week, giving them 14 days rest. Now, it does shrink the Lions' advantage to just four days, but it will be critical for the Vikings to get a win against the Lions.

Plus, it's only the second game for the Vikings against a divisional opponent, meaning that they have time to get into a flow with McCarthy as the starter before they take on the Lions.

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1. Week 2: vs. Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons are an interesting team to have at the top spot, especially with Kirk Cousins no longer the starting quarterback for the team. However, it's important to have this game here for multiple reasons.

• The Falcons have McCarthy's NFL Draft contemporary in Michael Penix Jr. 
• It's McCarthy's home debut
• Week two is one game removed from his first start

The game against the Bears could end up being a wild one for multiple reasons, especially because Vikings games at Soldier Field are always weird. Plus, this will be the first time we get to see McCarthy without the potential of first start jitters. There might be some nerves playing in front of a rabid fanbase who wants McCarthy to be the next big thing, but overall, this will be the game where we really can see the vision with what he's going to be.

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