The Minnesota Vikings have just gotten their NFL schedule, and it’s filled with fascinating matchups.

As we’ve discussed when talking about the schedule for the Vikings, it’s not just about who you play. When you play them is just as important. In 2025, the Vikings had just one cold-weather game in Week 16 against the New York Giants. While they didn’t get as lucky with cold-weather games this year, the Vikings did get lucky in another way.

Minnesota Vikings likely avoid Micah Parsons at least once

The Vikings have multiple teams they face with injured players, with the biggest being Green Bay Packers and edge rusher Micah Parsons. With the Vikings getting him in Week 1, it’s highly unlikely that they will see Parson. ESPN’s Adam Schefter mentioned on ESPN’s Get Up on Thursday morning that Parsons is likely to miss the first 3-4 games.

“The feeling within the organization has been that Parsons would miss the early part of the season and be back early on. He’ll be a candidate to be placed on the Physically Unable to Perform list. So heard three to four games potentially missed.”

ESPN’s Adam Schefter

It’s a big win for the Vikings to miss Parsons, especially since he dominated the Vikings in their first meeting last season. Not having to see him for at least one of their matchups is a massive victory for the Vikings and could propel them to another one on the field.

There are other aspects the Vikings got in their advantage as well, including facing the Miami Dolphins early in the season before they develop a lot of chemistry.

The two things they didn’t get off of our above wish list was facing the Indianapolis Colts or San Francisco 49ers early to avoid seeing both Daniel Jones and George Kittle potentially. They are more likely to play against both players. It’s not going to be a massive issue playing both players, but it certainly would make a difference.