The Vikings Have Some “Easy” Spots on the 2026 Schedule

The Minnesota Vikings released their 2026 schedule on Thursday night, on tap for nine true home games, seven on the road, and one at a neutral site (Mexico City). With that in the books, it’s time to glance at the “easy” games on the schedule.

A handful of games should favor Minnesota on paper.

We say easy loosely because good teams can pop up out of nowhere, but from a May standpoint, here’s the list.

Home Matchups Give the Vikings a Clear Path to Wins

The cakewalk sections of the 2026 docket, ranked in ascending order (No. 1 = easiest game).

5. Week 7 — vs. Colts

This game makes the cut to start the list because it is at home — plain and simple.

The Vikings’ defense will be familiar with Daniel Jones; they saw him in practice for two months during the 2024 season. The Colts have a decent roster, not a dream team.

Minnesota has also had luck against Indianapolis as of late, even orchestrating the largest comeback in NFL history against the franchise in 2022. The Colts’ defense ranked 16th in the league last year per EPA/Play, so the Vikings will not face an overly daunting test in Week 7.

4. Week 4 — vs. Dolphins

This team’s roster stinks. Its best wide receiver is arguably Jalen Tolbert or Parker Washington. You have to be pretty damn deep into fantasy football to know who those guys are. Miami has been conducting a fire sale over the last several months. It’s probably not a serious contender in 2026 unless Malik Willis becomes an All-Pro-caliber asset.

At home, Minnesota should trash Miami.

SI.com’s Gilbert Manzano gave the Dolphins’ an ‘F’ grade this offseason: “Miami Dolphins: F. Notable moves: TE Greg Dulcich (one year, $3.25 million), CB Lonnie Johnson Jr. (one year, $1.48 million), edge David Ojabo (contract n/a), G Jamaree Salyer (one year, $1.4 million), WR Jalen Tolbert (contract n/a), QB Malik Willis (three years, $67.5 million).”

“Clearly, the Dolphins are in rebuild mode and have their eyes on 2027. The team needed a fresh start, and there was no need to add Willis, who now has to play for a team that said goodbye to wide receivers Waddle and Tyreek Hill this offseason. It would have been better if this team had fully committed to the rebuild and taken its lumps with a veteran quarterback who would have commanded a lot less money than Willis.”

3. Week 13 — vs. Panthers

Another home contest, the Panthers will visit U.S. Bank Stadium for the first time with fans in attendance. Carolina and Minnesota did battle in 2020, but that was the pandemic season, and no fans were allowed.

Last season, the Panthers’ defense ranked 23rd in the NFL per EPA/Play. The group is not scary. The offense checked in at No. 26 per the same metric. Carolina made the postseason because of poor competition in the NFC South.

The Vikings should win this one, almost no matter what.

Not everyone agrees, though. A to Z Sports‘ Kole Noble predicted a Panthers dub on Thursday, explaining, “Headline: Tetairoa McMillan fourth-down catch sets up game-winning field goal. This game will be a defensive chess match between Ejiro Evero and Brian Flores.”

“The tight game lasts deep into the final quarter until the Panthers pull off a fourth-down conversion when Young connects downfield with McMillan to set up the game-winning field goal. Score Prediction: Panthers win 13-10 (5-7).”

2. Week 12 — vs. Falcons

Will this contest feature Tua Tagovailoa as the Falcons’ quarterback? Will this contest feature Michael Penix Jr. as the Falcons’ quarterback? Nobody knows.

If it’s Tagovailoa, you can circle it as the “Brian Flores Revenge Game.” A couple of summers ago, out of nowhere, Tagovailoa called Flores a “terrible person” on a random podcast. Flores will remember the unnecessary dig and make sure Tagovailoa knows how terrible his pass rush can be.

Minnesota also needs revenge here because the Falcons’ defense embarrassed the Vikings’ offense in 2025.

1. Week 17 — at Jets

Unless the Jets are forced to sign a free agent outsider 6-7 months from now, the Vikings will face Geno Smith, Cade Klubnik, Brady Cook, or Bailey Zappe at quarterback. That should not be a difficult test. Weather could be a factor in this game, but generally speaking, the Vikings are battle-tested in the elements from games in Green Bay and Chicago.

The Jets were one of the NFL’s worst teams last year, and despite a pretty formidable defense, they’re not on track to be a playoff team in 2026. This one should be a win unless Jets coach Aaron Glenn fully reverses his fortune.

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