On Thursday night, the NFL turned its yearly schedule release into quite the spectacle. This has been the case for years now, and for whatever reason, fans absolutely eat it up. Regardless, the Minnesota Vikings now not only know their opponents, but when exactly they will play them.

The Schedule Gives Minnesota a Cleaner Path Back to the Playoffs

The season starts with a big matchup against the Green Bay Packers, and the NFC North Division stays at the forefront with a Week 2 game against the Chicago Bears. Minnesota will need to come correct out of the gate, and new quarterback Kyler Murray must immediately perform in purple.

A year ago, the Vikings missed the playoffs with a 9-8 record. Behind the 11-win Bears, the entire division was made up of 9-game winners. Green Bay got the wild card spot by having one of their games end in a tie rather than a loss; that’s how razor-thin the difference was.

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This season, the Minnesota Vikings will improve by at least one game and win double digits.

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huge thanks to @RMSummerlin for his help & for getting this live overnight for you today!

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— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) May 15, 2026

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Rather than going through games on an individual basis, it seems clear there are some very straightforward contests to suggest that Kevin O’Connell’s team will come out on top in. Division matchups are often split throughout a season, and the Vikings have bottom feeders in the form of Miami, New York (Jets), New Orleans, Atlanta, Carolina, and potentially Washington all on their schedule.

Murray and the Vikings will need to beat multiple difficult opponents. They have games against New England, Buffalo, and Tampa Bay this season. Each of them has shown an ability to win at a high level, and stealing some of those will be the difference between success and failure.

Last season, Minnesota ripped off nine wins despite having a bad and hurt J.J. McCarthy under center. They then turned to a mediocre and hurt Carson Wentz. It was a house of horrors for the bulk of the year, but coming out where they did was nothing short of a miracle.

This time around, the Vikings will be in a better spot, with a better quarterback and a schedule that will reward them if they can execute.

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Ted Schwerzler is a Minneapolis based blogger that covers the Minnesota Twins and Vikings. Sharing thoughts constantly on Twitter, … More about Ted Schwerzler

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Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) teammate Dale Steyn has showered his praise on star batter Virat Kohli for his unbeaten century in a winning cause against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in IPL 2026. After coming from two consecutive ducks in his previous two games, the cricketer-turned-commentator credited Kohli for his strong mindset, especially in run chases. However, Steyn added that he wasn’t surprised because the top three batters are the ones who end up scoring the centuries in T20s.

The remarks came days after Kohli slammed an unbeaten 105 off 60 balls to take RCB over the line against KKR while chasing 193. During his knock, he became the first player to complete 500 runs nine times in the T20 league.

Speaking to AB de Villiers on his YouTube channel, Dale Steyn said:

“I might sound controversial, I know it’s probably the easiest time to get a 100 has been opening the batting, one, two, and three. You still got to go out there, and you got to do it. You still got to score those runs, which takes something. And then also to chase like I’m building this stuff. So that pressure of being able to chase, maintain the scoring rate, maintain the run rate required, shepherding guys around you. It’s a masterful knock [from Kohli], something he’s done time and time and time again. And I think now he relishes that space.

“It’s a knife-edge; it can go either way. People expect you to do well in chases because you’ve done that in the past. That can create a kind of pressure, but I think if you take all of that away, like take everything away, I think just the way that Virat has evolved his game over the years, his hunger, his ability to still find ways to score in different areas. That’s the big thing for me. Any time you get a 100 in T20 is very special.”

Dale Steyn has played for RCB in five IPL seasons, picking up 32 wickets in 33 matches.

“Like Novak Djokovic” – AB de Villiers heaps praise on Virat Kohli’s century vs KKR in IPL 2026

RCB legend AB de Villiers also lauded Virat Kohli for his century against KKR, commending him for his ability to deliver over the years by mastering the craft. While comparing him with tennis legend Novak Djokovic, the cricketer-turned-analyst said in the same video:

“It’s a psychological thing, I think. And I can think of a lot of sports people like Novak Djokovic, who’s labelled as this guy that can do marathons basically in tennis matches, take it very deep, and once again, the flip side is also true. He can sometimes be a little bit lazy and not go for the killer punch because you are this guy who takes it deep.

“So, it can go both ways, but it’s definitely in the mind where Virat crossed that line initially, early on in his career, started building, getting a bit of momentum with that. Once you start crossing the line a couple of times, you actually start believing like I’m really a specialist at chasing, and then you become almost unstoppable.”

Meanwhile, defending champions RCB have become the first team to qualify for the IPL 2026 playoffs. The table toppers have nine wins in 13 games. Virat Kohli and his team will play their last group-stage match against SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) away from home on May 22.