Report: Vikings could host Eagles on Thanksgiving night in 2019

The Minnesota Vikings reportedly could host the first Thanksgiving game in franchise history against the Philadelphia Eagles in 2019.

The Minnesota Vikings have plenty of intriguing matchups set for the 2019 season. With trips to see Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs and a visit to Jerry World to see the Dallas Cowboys already on deck, the one opponent that Vikings fans may have circled is a home date with the Philadelphia Eagles.

The official 2019 schedule won’t be released until April, but some of the tea leaves have begun to fall as to when the Vikings could host the Eagles during an episode of the Sports Illustrated media podcast. In their latest episode, host Jimmy Traina and guest John Ourand of the Sports Business Journal discussed the upcoming NFL schedule and mentioned that the matchup could take place on Thanksgiving night.

"“I didn’t actually write about this but I have heard that Minnesota vs. Philadelphia is one that’s in play. It’s not dead set, but I’m told that it’s pretty likely.”"

There would be several factors that would make a Thanksgiving game between the Eagles and Vikings noteworthy. First, it would be the first time in franchise history that the Vikings would host a Thanksgiving game. Traditionally, those games have gone to the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys until the NFL added the primetime game in 2006.

The matchup would also mark the third time in the past four seasons in which the Vikings will have played on Thanksgiving. Minnesota faced the Lions at Ford Field in the 2016 and 2017 seasons, but had last Thanksgiving off with the Chicago Bears heading to Detroit.

Finally, this game would feature a matchup of two teams that have become bitter rivals in the NFC. The Eagles are probably more than thankful for the Vikings as a team that gave them a first-round pick for Sam Bradford, rolled over in a 38-7 NFC Championship Game and cleared the way for Philadelphia to head to the playoffs in part of their own dysfunction last year.

Putting a matchup between the Minnesota Vikings and Philadelphia Eagles in front of a prime time audience on Thanksgiving would be a big win for the NFL and it will be interesting to see if it comes to fruition this fall.