Sinking ship?
The Minnesota Vikings are the last undefeated team left in the NFL, but have enjoyed the luxury of some calm waters. Look no further than the team's October schedule. Victories over the Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts have Minnesota riding high at 6-0 after seven weeks.
It just so happens that "Spooky Season" also coincides with a noticeable uptick in difficulty.
The November slate will see matchups against the Detroit Lions, Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers, San Francisco 49ers and Atlanta Falcons. One way or another, everyone is going to learn a lot about the Vikings after getting through the gauntlet of mostly Super Bowl contenders.
Does that mean that Kevin O'Connell's team is also due for a loss?
Here's
what to know.
When will the Vikings lose a game?
The Vikings' undefeated season figures to be in jeopardy as early as Week 8 against the Detroit Lions. If the loss doesn't come against their NFC North foe, the road doesn't get much easier in the weeks that follow:
at Detroit Lions (Week 8)
The Lions offense is a different beast. While you could say that Minnesota passed the test against an electric Chicago Bears team in Week 2, the weather conditions were set up for defenses to dominate. The opposite couldn't be more true in Week 8, given that this contest will be played in a dome.
Kyler Murray and the Vikings offense will have to contribute more than they typically have this season to win this game, even if the defense slows down the Lions.
A matchup against this leaky Detroit defense should help matters, but O'Connell's offense has still left a lot to be desired this season. At the very least, some more usage for Justin Jefferson could do the trick.
However, this is easily the best chance for the Vikings to finally lose so far this season.
vs. Buffalo Bills (Week 9)
If the Vikings leave Detroit with a win, the road won't get any easier in Week 9 as Josh Allen and the Bills come to town for a "Monday Night Football" clash. One of the best teams in the league, Buffalo has plenty of shortcomings, but Allen can more than makes up for all of them with his play.
The quarterback will be a huge test for Brian Flores' defense.
at Green Bay Packers (Week 10)
It might seem ridiculous to pick the next three games as the Vikings' best chance for a loss, but that is also reality in this case. Minnesota will have to travel to Green Bay on a short week to play the rival Packers in Week 10, which is far from easy.
Micah Parsons could be back in the lineup by this point and Josh Jacobs already is, meaning the Packers could look very different from the way they were in Week 1. It's hard enough to beat the same team twice in the same year. Doing it on the road against a division rival that also significantly improved might as well be impossible. If the Vikings escape this week with their perfect record still intact, you're looking at what could be a magical year in the Twin Cities.
Minnesota Vikings schedule 2026
- Week 1: vs. Green Bay Packers, 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS
- Week 2: at Chicago Bears, 1 p.m. ET, Fox
- Week 3: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 4:05 p.m. ET, Fox
- Week 4: vs. Miami Dolphins, 4:05 p.m. ET, Fox
- Week 5: at New Orleans Saints, 1 p.m. ET, Fox
- Week 6: BYE
- Week 7: vs. Indianapolis Colts, 1 p.m. ET, CBS
- Week 8: at Detroit Lions, 1 p.m. ET, Fox
- Week 9: vs. Buffalo Bills, 8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN ("Monday Night Football")
- Week 10: at Green Bay Packers, 1 p.m. ET, Fox
- Week 11: vs. San Francisco 49ers, 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC (in Mexico City)
- Week 12: vs. Atlanta Falcons, 1 p.m. ET, Fox
- Week 13: vs. Carolina Panthers, 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS
- Week 14: at New England Patriots, 8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video ("Thursday Night Football")
- Week 15: vs. Detroit Lions, 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC ("Sunday Night Football")
- Week 16: vs. Washington Commanders, TBD
- Week 17: at New York Jets, 1 p.m. ET, CBS
- Week 18: vs. Chicago Bears, TBD
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: When will the Vikings lose a game? Breaking down Minnesota's remaining schedule
