The Minnesota Vikings' 2024 schedule is officially out and the team now has its road map to get back into the playoffs after a one-year absence.

From the Vikings' season-opener on the road, to Kirk Cousins' return to US Bank Stadium, there's a lot to discuss.

So, let's not waste any more time and dive into the Vikings' 2024 schedule.

---

Vikings' 2024 Schedule

• Week 1: at New York Giants
• Week 2: vs San Francisco 49ers
• Week 3: vs Houston Texans
• Week 4: at Green Bay Packers
• Week 5, Oct. 6: vs New York Jets (Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London)
• Week 6: BYE
• Week 7:  vs Detroit Lions
• Week 8, Oct. 24: at Los Angeles Rams (TNF)
• Week 9: vs Indianapolis Colts
• Week 10: at Jacksonville Jaguars
• Week 11: at Tennessee Titans
• Week 12: at Chicago Bears
• Week 13: vs Arizona Cardinals
• Week 14: vs. Atlanta Falcons
• Week 15, Dec. 16: vs Bears (MNF)
• Week 16: at Seattle Seahawks
• Week 17: vs Packers
• Week 18: at Lions

---

Biggest Games on the Vikings' 2024 Schedule

Every divisional game: The NFC North is absolutely loaded and I think it's the second-best division in football behind the AFC North. Three of the Vikings' final four games are divisional contests, which only hammers the point home, even more.

Vikings vs. Falcons: I mean, do I need to explain? It's Kirk Cousins' return, which will undoubtedly be talked about non-stop, all week long – and probably even longer than that. The fact that it's played on Dec. 4, when the playoff race is beginning to peak, heightens the drama, exponentially.

Vikings vs. 49ers: Hosting the defending NFC champs, after beating them in their own house last year, is certainly a game to circle on the schedule. The Vikings get a big chance to make an early statement.

---

Primetime matchups with viewing/streaming info

Which games will be primetime viewing and which ones will be streamed?

The Vikings have a total of two primetime games in 2024:

• Week 5, Oct. 6: Vikings at New York Jets (London), 9:30 a.m. ET
  How to watch/stream: Access to the NFL Network or NFL+ is how fans will have to view this game. That can be obtained through cable, satellite, and/or streaming services. More specifically, NFL+ is its own streaming entity and obviously, if you own any streaming services like YouTube TV or anything else, NFL Network is more than likely included in your package.

• Week 8, Oct. 24: Vikings at Rams (TNF), 8:15 p.m. ET
  How to watch/stream: You will have to have an Amazon Prime account in order to stream this game. Some local channels will still broadcast the game, but that's not a guarantee.

• Week 15, Dec. 16: Vikings vs Bears (MNF), 8:15 p.m. ET
  How to watch/stream: Access to ESPN or ESPN+ is required to watch this game. Those two are like the NFL above – they can be obtained through cable, satellite, and/or streaming services.

---

Strength of Schedule (based off Vegas win totals, not 2023 record)

Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Analysis does this cool thing every year where he ranks teams' strength of schedule based off Vegas' projected win totals for the upcoming season. He doesn't base it off the standard last-year's-record model and it makes a lot more sense, because of all the change teams go through during the offseason. 

Sharp has the Vikings' SOS as the fifth-hardest. Only the Ravens, Browns, Patriots and Steelers, in that order, have tougher schedules, as you can see below:

---

Revenge Games on the Vikings' 2024 schedule

• Danielle Hunter and the Houston Texans: Hunter returns to U.S. Bank Stadium to play against the team that initially drafted him and then watched him walk after eight years in Minnesota.
• Kirk Cousins comes back home, too: Yep, Minnesota will see two of its best players from the last decade return home in an effort to beat their former team in front of Vikings fans.
• Aaron Jones plays the Packers twice: Oh yea, we're doing this on both sides of the coin. Jones gets a chance to do the same thing Cousins and Hunter get a chance to do – beat his former team on its own turf.

---

5 Must-watch Matchups

• Justin Jefferson vs. Sauce Gardner: The league's top corner against the league's top receiver? Overseas? Sign me up, all day. This is easily one the biggest head-to-head matchups of the season, not just the Vikings' season.
• Jonathan Greenard vs. Laremy Tunsil: The Vikings' top pass rusher against one of the best left tackles in the game will be a good'n, for sure. The fact they are former teammates only adds more spice to an elite matchup.
• Brian O'Neill/Christian Darrisaw vs. Nick Bosa/Leonard Floyd: The Vikings have one of the elite tackle duos in the NFL and Bosa and Floyd are a very good duo themselves.
• Vikings secondary vs. C.J. Stroud and the Texans receivers: The secondary was marred by injury toward the end of last season and the on-the-field aftereffect was not good. Minnesota added a couple guys to the secondary in free agency and drafted Khyree Jackson in Round 3 – how will the unit hold up against the likes of Stroud and co.?
• Cousins vs. Brian Flores: The Vikings will know Cousins inside-and-out. How he responds will be fascinating to watch.

---