More Leaks Arrive Thursday Morning for Vikings Schedule

Earlier this week, the NFL confirmed that the Minnesota Vikings would spend the week before Thanksgiving in Mexico City, taking on the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday Night Football. That initial leak was accurate, and a few more arrived Wednesday night into Thursday morning.

Minnesota’s 2026 schedule picture is starting to take shape before the official NFL release.

The leaks will be confirmed by the full schedule release on Thursday night.

Three Vikings Matchups Surface Before Full Schedule Release

In the meantime, here’s a look at the latest leaks.

Vikings at Bears in Week 2

An account called VikingzFanPage on Twitter (X), which has an excellent track record with premature schedule leaks, tweeted Thursday morning, “Schedule leak: The Minnesota Vikings will travel to Chicago in week 2 to take on the Bears, per source.”

Vikings games at Soldier Field are infamous for wackiness, so Minnesota will get this one out of the way early and avoid cold temperatures.

The Bears also unexpectedly won the NFC North in 2025, hoping to prove to the world that the feat was not accidental. Oddly, Chicago won several close games, always seeming to go down to the wire, and usually when that happens, the same club regresses the following season. Stay tuned.

Vikings at Jets in Week 17

On Wednesday night, the same account that accurately leaked the Vikings at 49ers in Mexico City, tweeted, “NFL SCHEDULE LEAK. Vikings at Jets – Week 17 1pm (Jan 3).”

New York fired up a terrible season in 2025 but opted to retain rookie head coach Aaron Glenn, who basically fired his whole coaching staff four months ago. The Jets’ foremost offseason solution? Trading for Geno Smith at quarterback, followed by drafting Clemson’s Cade Klubnik in Round 4 last month.

By the time Minnesota faces New York near the end of the season, there’s a decent chance that the Jets will hand the baton to Klubnik to let it rip.

It’s also worth noting that when the full schedule is in plain view, this contest may be considered one of the Vikings’ “easiest” games, as the rest won’t quite feature matchups against green passers like Klubnik.

Bleacher Report‘s Brent Sobleski gave the Jets’ offseason an ‘A’ grade this week, explaining, “The New York Jets have the same problem today as they did a year ago, though the situation is vastly improved around the quarterback position.”

“A massive influx of talent entered the Jets roster this offseason, to the point where the team can compete with almost anyone if Geno Smith doesn’t experience another meltdown, as he did last season with the Las Vegas Raiders. Setting quarterback aside, New York overhauled last year’s 25th-ranked defense to give the team an identity.”

The 2026 campaign could be a make-or-break year for Glenn, believe it or not.

Sobleski added, “Demario Davis, T’Vondre Sweat, Joseph Ossai, Kingsley Enagbare, Nashon Wright, Dane Belton and Minkah Fitzpatrick were added either through free agency or trade. During the draft, the team selected the class’ best pure pass-rusher, David Bailey, and its most competitive cornerback in DeAngelo Ponds.”

“On the other side of the ball, general manager Darren Mougey should have made life easier on Smith after adding the class’ top tight end, Kenyon Sadiq, and an outstanding YAC creator in wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. All of the pieces aren’t in place, but the Jets are clearly better than they were when the offseason began.”

Bears at Vikings to Close Out Regular Season

Finally, this used to be a mainstay of Vikings football — finishing the season at home against the Bears. It was actually customary during the Mike Zimmer era, and the game was often meaningless, with the fates of one or both teams already sealed by Week 18.

This go-round may be different, as the Vikings and Bears feature playoff-caliber rosters, at least on paper.

Until 2026, Minnesota had finished the season on the road in three of the last four seasons. Taking on the Bears at U.S. Bank Stadium corrects the record a bit.

Full Leaks So Far

Via “credible leaks,” this is what we know about Minnesota’s schedule as of 8:45 am CST on May 14:

Week 1 —
Week 2 — at Bears
Week 3 —
Week 4 —
Week 5 —
Week 6 —
Week 7 —
Week 8 —
Week 9 —
Week 10 —
Week 11 — at 49ers (SNF)
Week 12 —
Week 13 —
Week 14 —
Week 15 —
Week 16 —
Week 17 — at Jets
Week 18 — vs. Bears

Oddsmakers expect Minnesota to win eight or nine games in 2026.

VikingsTerritory will report the full schedule as it becomes more official on Thursday. Per strength of schedule, Minnesota ranks near the middle of the pack this season.

Another rumor includes the Vikings hosting the Miami Dolphins in Week 4 and the bye during Week 6.

Dustin Baker is a novelist and political scientist. His second novel, The Invaders , is out now. So is … More about Dustin Baker