The Minnesota Vikings’ 2023 schedule was officially released on Thursday night. While many fans have spent the past 24 hours predicting the Vikings’ record for the upcoming season, there is one fantastic advantage for Minnesota that has flown under the radar.

122 days until Week 1

Enjoy The Ride pic.twitter.com/UZgsYsbygF

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) May 12, 2023

The Vikings, like most teams who play their home games in dome stadiums, don’t typically play well in the cold weather. Playing in the NFC North, it’s nearly impossible to avoid doing so with annual trips to Green Bay and Chicago on the slate.

However, Minnesota will knock those two road games out early in the season. The Vikings are scheduled to square off with the Bears in Week 6 (Oct. 15) and the Packers in Week 8 (Oct. 29). Both games are slated for noon CT.

The #Vikings will be in Chicago in Week 6. They’ve got no cold-weather games this year, with a trip to Green Bay reportedly scheduled for Week 8.

— Ben Goessling (@BenGoessling) May 11, 2023

In fact, the Vikings only have two outdoor road games after the month of October. Minnesota travels to Denver for a Sunday night showdown with the Broncos in Week 12 (Nov. 19). They’ll also make a trip to Cincinnati in Week 15 to do battle with Joe Burrow’s Bengals on either Saturday, Dec. 16 or Sunday, Dec. 17.

The Vikings’ other two road games come against the Las Vegas Raiders (Week 14) and Detroit Lions (Week 18).

For an offense that relies heavily on the passing game, this is a massive advantage. Quarterback Kirk Cousins has a strong arm, but blustery conditions obviously limit the damage he can do downfield with Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison on the receiving end of things.

Unless the Vikings are able to lock down the No. 1 seed in the NFC, they’ll likely face an outdoor test if they reach the postseason. But with this particular scheduling edge, Minnesota is set up for success down the stretch in 2023.