The Vikings announced their **2017 regular-season schedule** on Thursday.
The final "quarter" of the season is the only one in which the Vikings alternate between a road game and home game twice.
Minnesota will visit Carolina for a second straight season on Dec. 10 before returning to host Cincinnati. The Vikings will close out 2017 with the exact same matchups and locations: at Green Bay, but this time on a Saturday night in a game that will be nationally televised by NBC, and against Chicago.
It will be the third season in a row in which Minnesota has visited Green Bay in the final two weeks and the third time in four seasons that the Bears have ended their season in Minnesota.
Week 14
Vikings at Panthersby @LindseyMNSports
Noon*| Sunday, Dec. 10 | Bank of America Stadium
Series results
Vikings W-L-T: 8-5-0
Home: 6-3-0; Away: 2-2-0
Last time in regular season:Vikings defeated Panthers 22-10 on Sept. 25, 2016* *
Last time in regular season in Carolina:Vikings defeated Panthers 22-10 at Carolina on Sept. 25, 2016
Carolina's 2016 offensive rankings:
Total yards: 5,499 (19th in NFL); Rushing yards: 1,814 (10th); Passing yards: 3,685 (tied for 21st); Points/game: 23.1 (15th); Sacks allowed/pass play percentage: 6.39 percent (22nd); Interception rate: 3.37 percent (28th); Average time of possession: 30:50 (8th)
Carolina's 2016 defensive rankings:
Total yards allowed/game: 359.8 (21st); Rushing yards allowed/game: 91.6 (6th); Passing yards allowed/game: 268.2 (29th); Points allowed/game: 25.1 (26th); Sacks/pass play: 7.68 percent (3rd); Interception rate: 2.78 percent (9th)
Icebreakers:The Vikings and Panthers have faced each other three out of the past four seasons and will look to notch a third consecutive win over the NFC South division … The Panthers finished 6-10 in 2016 after going 15-1 in the previous regular season and appearing in Super Bowl 50. … Running back Jonathan Stewart led Carolina last season with 824 rushing yards and nine touchdowns but did not play against Minnesota in Week 3. … Tight end Greg Olsen, who had 10 catches for 64 yards against the Vikings, led the Panthers in 2016 with 1,073 receiving yards and will be entering his 11th NFL season. … The Vikings defense sacked Panthers quarterback Cam Newton an impressive eight times in their most recent meeting. … After ranking No. 1 and No. 2 in points per game and red zone percentage, respectively, in 2015, Carolina finished last season at 15th and 12th in those same categories.
View images of the Vikings opponents after the 2017 schedule was released on Thursday.
QB Drew Brees has thrown for 66,111 passing yards in his 16-year NFL career.
HC Sean Payton is 94-66 in his 10-year career as the head coach of the New Orleans Saints.
Willie Snead and Michael Thomas combined for 13 touchdowns and 2,032 receiving yards in 2016.
RB Le'Veon Bell ran for 1,226 yards, seven touchdowns and had 75 receptions in 2016.
QB Ben Roethlisberger threw for 3,819 yards, 29 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in 2016.
The Vikings are 0-2 in the regular season at Heinz Field.
QB Jameis Winston threw for 4,090 yards, 28 touchdowns and 18 interceptions in 2016.
WR Mike Evans surpassed 1,000 receiving yards for the third time in his three-year career in 2016 (1,321 yards).
In his first season as head coach Dirk Koetter led the Buccaneers to a record above .500 (10-6) for the first time since 2010.
QB Matthew Stafford's quarterback rating of 71.6 in 2016 was the best of his eight-year career.
WR Golden Tate caught 91 passes for 1,077 yards and four touchdowns in 2016.
HC Jim Caldwell enters his fourth season as head coach of the Lions with a 27-21 record in Detroit.
WR Cameron Meredith emerged as one of the Bears top targets in 2016 with 888 yards and 66 receptions.
LB Leonard Floyd had 7.0 sacks and 33 combined tackles in his first year in Chicago.
The Vikings are 58-52-2 against the Bears in the all-time series but just 2-9 in the past 11 at Soldier Field.
QB Aaron Rodgers threw for 40 touchdowns last season, his highest total since the 2011 season.
LB Clay Matthews finished the 2016 season with 24 tackles, including 5.0 sacks and a forced fumble in 12 games.
HC Mike McCarthy enters his 12th season as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers with a 114-61-1 record.
LB Terrell Suggs compiled three forced fumbles in his 13th season with the Baltimore Ravens in 2016.
HC John Harbaugh has been the head coach of the Ravens since 2008 and has a record of 85-59 in the regular season.
QB Joe Flacco threw for a career-high of 4,317 passing yards in 2016.
The Vikings will play as the road team against the Cleveland Browns at Twickenham Stadium in London in Week 8.
LB Jamie Collins had two interceptions, two forced fumbles and 79 combined tackles with the Patriots and Browns in 2016.
Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer coached with Hue Jackson for two seasons with the Bengals (2012-13).
Bye Week
QB Kirk Cousins had 4,917 yards, 25 touchdowns and 12 interceptions last season.
CB Josh Norman had 67 combined tackles and three interceptions in his first season in Washington.
The Vikings lost 26-20 against the Redskins at FedEx Field in 2016.
QB Jared Goff, the first overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, went 0-7 as a starter last season.
RB Todd Gurley has run for 1,991 yards in his first two seasons in the NFL.
HC Sean McVay became the youngest head coach in NFL history when he was hired by the Los Angeles Rams earlier this offseason.
WR Marvin Jones had a career-high 930 receiving yards in 2016.
The Vikings are 71-38-2 against the Lions all-time but are 2-3 in the past five at Ford Field.
K Matt Prater hit the game-winning field goal against the Vikings in Detroit on Thanksgiving Day.
WR Julio Jones had 1,409 yards and six touchdowns in 2016.
QB Matt Ryan was the 2016 NFL MVP after posting 4,944 yards, 38 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
The Falcons are set to open their inaugural season in Mercedes Benz Stadium.
QB Cam Newton threw for 3,509 yards, 19 touchdowns and 14 interceptions last season after winning the MVP in 2015.
LB Luke Kuechly compiled 102 combined tackles and one interception in 2016.
The Vikings defeated the Panthers 22-10 at Bank of America Stadium in 2016.
In nine games last season, WR A.J. Green had 66 receptions, 964 yards and four touchdowns before a season-ending injury.
QB Andy Dalton threw for 4,206 yards, 18 touchdowns and eight interceptions in 2016.
Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer coached under Marvin Lewis for six seasons (2008-13) as defensive coordinator of the Bengals.
WR Jordy Nelson caught 97 passes for 1,257 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2016.
RB Ty Montgomery ran for 457 yards and three touchdowns in his transition year from wide receiver to the running back position.
The Vikings are 50-59-2 all-time against the Packers and have split the past two games there.
RB Jordan Howard broke the Bears rookie franchise record with 1,313 rushing yards in 2016.
Since John Fox took over as head coach of the Bears the Vikings are 3-1 against Chicago.
The Bears acquired former Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Mike Glennon in the offseason.
Week 15
Vikings vs. Bengalsby @pcraigers
Noon* | Sunday, Dec. 17 | U.S. Bank Stadium
Series results
Vikings W-L-T: 6-6-0
Home: 5-0; Away: 1-6
Last time in regular season:Bengals defeated Vikings 42-14 on Dec. 22, 2013
Last time in regular season in Minnesota:Vikings defeated Bengals 30-10 on Dec. 13, 2009
Cincinnati's 2016 offensive rankings:
Total yards: 5,711 (13th in NFL); Rushing yards: 1,769 (13th); Passing yards: 3,942 (15th); Points/game: 20.3 (24th); Sacks allowed/pass play percentage: 7.28 percent (26th); Interception rate: 1.42 percent (7th); Average time of possession: 29:52 (21st)
Cincinnati's 2016 defensive rankings:
Total yards allowed/game: 350.8 (17th); Rushing yards allowed/game: 113.3 (21st); Passing yards allowed/game: 237.5 (11th); Points allowed/game: 19.7 (8th); Sacks/pass play: 5.56 percent (22nd); Interception rate: 2.87 percent (8th)
Icebreakers:The Bengals are one of three franchises that have not won a game in Minnesota, joining the Ravens (0-1) and the Texans (0-2). … Cincinnati had its streak of five straight trips to the postseason snapped in 2016 when the Bengals finished 6-9-1, which also was the first time that 2011 second-round pick Andy Dalton didn't finish a season with a winning record. … Draft classmate A.J. Green, who missed a career-high six games, finished with fewer than 1,000 receiving yards for the first time (964). … This will be the first time that Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer has faced Cincinnati in a regular-season game. Zimmer was Bengals defensive coordinator from 2008-13. … The Bengals lost tackle Andrew Whitworth and guard Kevin Zeitler in free agency, and DT Domata Peko departed for Denver. Cincinnati added Kevin Minter and reached deals to bring back Brandon LaFell, Dre Kirkpatrick and Eric Winston. After an injury-depleted season in Minnesota, Andre Smith signed to return to the Bengals. … Cincinnati ranked third in the NFL in average starting field position after kickoffs (26.4), just behind Philadelphia (27.2) and Minnesota (26.9) in 2016.
Week 16
Vikings at Packersby @EricLSmith
7:30 p.m. | Saturday, Dec. 23 | Lambeau Field
Series results
Vikings W-L-T: 51-60-2
Home: 27-28; Away: 24-32-2
Last time in regular season:Packers defeated Vikings 38-25 on Dec. 24, 2016, in Green Bay
Last time in regular season in Green Bay:Packers defeated Vikings 38-25 on Dec. 24, 2016
Green Bay's 2016 offensive rankings:
Total yards: 5,900 (8th in NFL); Rushing yards: 1,701 (20th); Passing yards: 4,199 (7th); Points/game: 27.0 (4th); Sacks allowed/pass play percentage: 5.65 percent (13th); Interception rate: 1.29 percent (5th); Average time of possession: 31:14 (5th)
Green Bay's 2016 defensive rankings:
Total yards allowed/game: 363.9 (22nd); Rushing yards allowed/game: 94.7 (8th); Passing yards allowed/game: 269.3 (31st); Points allowed/game: 24.3 (21st); Sacks/pass play: 7.01 percent (7th); Interception rate: 2.98 percent (5th)
Icebreakers:This will mark the Vikings annual trip to Lambeau Field. Minnesota will be seeking its 25th road win over the Packers. The most recent road win secured the 2015 NFC North division title in the regular season's final game. … Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen had the best game of his career at Lambeau Field in 2016, catching 12 passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns. … Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs had a pair of touchdown grabs against Green Bay last season. … Vikings linebacker Eric Kendricks had 2.5 sacks at Lambeau Field last season. … Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer is 2-4 in his career against the Packers. … Defensive end Everson Griffen has 9.0 sacks in 14 career games against Green Bay.
Week 17
Vikings vs. Bears by @LindseyMNSports
Noon* | Sunday, Dec. 31 | U.S. Bank Stadium
Series results
Vikings W-L-T: 58-52-2
Home: 36-21; Away: 22-31-2
Last time in regular season:Vikings defeated Bears 38-10 on Jan. 1, 2017, in Minnesota
Last time in regular season in Minnesota:Vikings defeated Bears 38-10 on Jan. 1, 2017
Chicago's 2016 offensive rankings:
Total yards: 5,704 (15th in NFL); Rushing yards: 1,735 (17th); Passing yards: 3,969 (tied for 14th); Points/game: 17.4 (tied for 28th); Sacks allowed/pass play percentage: 5.01 percent (8th); Interception rate: 3.40 percent (29th); Average time of possession: 28:07 (30th)
Chicago's 2016 defensive rankings:
Total yards allowed/game: 346.8 (15th); Rushing yards allowed/game: 121.9 (27th); Passing yards allowed/game: 224.9 (7th); Points allowed/game: 24.9 (24th); Sacks/pass play: 6.98 percent (8th); Interception rate: 1.51 percent (28th)
Icebreakers:Minnesota has won four of its past five matchups with Chicago but fell at Soldier Field on Oct. 31, 2016, splitting the season series. … The Bears have not won a game in Minneapolis since Jan. 1, 2012, giving the Vikings a five-game win streak at home. … The Bears have a new starting quarterback for 2017 in Mike Glennon, whom they signed as a free agent on March 10. Glennon was drafted by Tampa Bay in 2013 but lost the starting job to Josh McCown midway through the 2014 season. In 2015 and 2016, Glennon was the backup passer behind Jameis Winston and played only two games. … In the final game of the 2016 season, Minnesota's defense held Chicago to just 10 points and recorded 2.0 sacks, two interceptions and three fumble recoveries.
- Time subject to change due to flex scheduling.
