Minnesota Vikings 2016 schedule is deceptively difficult

Jan 10, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings kicker Blair Walsh (3) reacts after missing a field goal attempt against the Seattle Seahawks in the fourth quarter of a NFC Wild Card playoff football game at TCF Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 10, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings kicker Blair Walsh (3) reacts after missing a field goal attempt against the Seattle Seahawks in the fourth quarter of a NFC Wild Card playoff football game at TCF Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports /
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With the release of the 2016 NFL schedules, many Minnesota Vikings fans were already counting up the games the team should win, but it’s not quite that easy.

Minnesota Vikings fans got a treat on April 14, 2016 when the season’s schedules were released. Among the 16 regular season contests scheduled by the NFL, Minnesota will be on a national stage 5 times with a possibility of being flexed into another high-profile game during the final two weeks.

But fans are jumping the gun a bit by counting wins already. There are so many things that can happen between now and the start of the 2016 season that claiming the team will win a majority of their games might be assuming a lot. Plus, some of these games are going to be much more difficult than expected.

At first glance, the schedule might seem easy, but there are several types of teams that Minnesota will be playing that makes the opponents deceptively difficult.

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For example, there are several young teams that may put it all together the way the Minnesota Vikings did recently. Squads like the Tennessee Titans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions and even Chicago Bears will likely improve greatly heading into this season and should definitely not be considered “gimmes”.

Next, there are teams that struggled last year, but should return to form following big injuries or picked up some extra pieces of the puzzle to become more complete. These are teams like the Indianapolis Colts, Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants.

Finally, there are the returning playoff teams, which again includes the Houston Texans, but also adds the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers and Washington Redskins. These teams should always be taken seriously, but some were not even close to full strength and may be even more dangerous this time around.

The point is that the NFL isn’t the kind of sports league where any game should be considered an easy win. With the varied competition, busy schedule, and unpredictability of injuries and circumstances, any schedule, even one with many up-and-coming teams, could be much more difficult than anticipated.

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The great thing about this is that the Minnesota Vikings are the defending NFC North champions. That means that they are the team that other squads in the division will be looking to beat this year. With a big target on their back and a lot to prove, this young Vikings team will be hoping to take another big step toward the ultimate goal in football: the Super Bowl.