Predicting every national TV game for the Vikings in the 2024 season

There is plenty of buzz surrounding the Minnesota Vikings heading into next season and it could lead to plenty of national exposure in 2024.

The Vikings have plenty of intrigue, headlined by new quarterback J.J. McCarthy. Brian Flores’s defense could also be a key selling point, and Minnesota will always be a candidate for primetime games, thanks to the presence of Justin Jefferson.

But while we know the Vikings will have at least one primetime game, we don’t know who their opponent could be. With several key storylines and a team that could exceed expectations, Minnesota has plenty of juicy primetime matchups for schedule-makers to choose from this season.

Predicting every national TV game for the Minnesota Vikings in 2024

Green Bay Packers

When deciding upon potential primetime games, you always have to consider the Vikings and the Packers. One of the NFL’s premier rivalries, there is always something on the line when these two teams meet, and there’s plenty for fans to tune into this year.

Jordan Love will look to build off his strong finish to last season and the potential of Aaron Jones returning to Lambeau Field could be enough to make a casual fan to tune in.

Perhaps this is not enough for a Sunday night game, but it could be enticing for a Thursday or Monday night matchup. Either way, seeing the Packers and the Vikings under the lights is a real possibility in 2024.

Detroit Lions

Just as much as America loves the Packers, they can’t get enough of the Detroit Lions – or at the very least, Dan Campbell.

Campbell has become the face in the franchise for the Lions in large part due to his role on the 2022 edition of Hard Knocks. The Lions are also coming off their first division championship 30 years and were last seen blowing a 17-point lead in the NFC Championship Game.

With Amon-Ra St. Brown, Aidan Hutchinson, and Jahmyr Gibbs also on the field, a second division rivalry could be a primetime matchup for the Vikings this fall.

San Francisco 49ers

The Vikings upset the 49ers in one of the best primetime games of the 2023 season, and it could lead to the NFL deciding to run it back in 2024.

The 49ers are expected to remain one of the top teams in the NFC led by Brock Purdy. Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle, and Christian McCaffrey are fixtures in any fantasy league and it would make sense to make their owners sweat it out on a Monday night.

The 49ers haven’t won in Minnesota since 1992, and with another trip to U.S. Bank Stadium planned, it could make for a big attraction for schedule makers.

New York Jets

Aaron Rodgers is another Vikings nemesis who will return to his house of horrors this season, as Rodgers owns a 2-5 record at U.S. Bank Stadium during his career. While Rodgers was able to escape Minneapolis with a trade to the New York Jets, he won’t be as fortunate when the Jets make the trip this fall.

The NFL schedule makers loaded the schedule with Jets primetime games last season with New York making five appearances. These games didn’t even get flexed when Rodgers suffered a torn Achilles on national television during the season opener and figure to be a staple when the schedule is released next week.

That means it would make sense for ESPN or NBC cameras to capture Rodgers being booed relentlessly by Vikings fans one last time.

Los Angeles Rams

While some primetime matchups are made from the players on the field, the Vikings and Rams will be dictated by their coaches.

Kevin O’Connell has been one of many to work under Sean McVay, and this year’s matchup in Inglewood will be the first time they’ve gone head-to-head as head coaches. O’Connell served as McVay’s offensive coordinator when the Rams won the Super Bowl in 2022 and gave him plenty of credit when he was hired by the Vikings a few months later.

Will that be enough for a primetime game? Potentially. But it could also be a storyline that could be worth monitoring.

Atlanta Falcons

If there’s one game on the Vikings’ schedule that’s a lock to be in primetime, it’s when Cousins and the Falcons return to U.S. Bank Stadium.

Cousins spent six seasons with the Vikings and gave the franchise the kind of stability it hasn’t seen since Fran Tarkenton played in the 1970s. Cousins’s popularity grew immensely when O’Connell replaced Mike Zimmer as head coach in 2022, and his “Kirko Chainz” persona became a national phenomenon.

But Cousins will be on the opposite sideline and it will be interesting to see how Vikings fans will react. With Minnesota possibly stuck in a rebuilding year, the NFL may opt to make Cousins’s return to Minnesota a main attraction in Week 1 and get plenty of eyeballs on this game to open the season.

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