Dream trip to Vegas for Vikings fans now in jeopardy after NFL rule change

When the 2023 regular season schedule for the Minnesota Vikings was released earlier this month, a significant amount of the fan base that travels to away games was curious about one specific road trip for the team next season against the Las Vegas Raiders.

The schedule revealed that the Vikings will take on the Raiders in Las Vegas in a Week 14 matchup on Sunday, December 10th, at 3:05 p.m. CST. Plenty of Minnesota fans have already purchased tickets to the game and booked flights to Las Vegas for the weekend to go watch their favorite team take on the Raiders.

Well, that magical trip to Las Vegas in the beginning of December might have just been ruined on Monday after the NFL approved of a new rule change that will begin during the upcoming season.

Week 14 game between the Minnesota Vikings and Las Vegas Raiders eligible to be flexed to Thursday night

On the first day of the NFL's Spring League Meeting on Monday, the owners approved a rule change that will allow games to be flexed to Thursday nights in the 2023 season.

In order for a matchup to be flexed to Thursday night in 2023, it must be a contest that is already scheduled on a Sunday afternoon, or its time and date have yet to be determined (TBA). Only games from Week 13 to Week 17 are eligible to be flexed to Thursday night, and each participating team has to be given a four-week notice prior to their schedule change.

Based on these requirements, Minnesota's Week 14 matchup against the Raiders and their Week 15 game at the Cincinnati Bengals are both eligible to be flexed into Thursday night next season.

So if the NFL were to flex the Week 14 contest between the Vikings and Raiders, fans of both teams would only find out a month before the game is actually played. The matchup would also be switched to Thursday, December 7th, at 7:15 p.m. CST.

For Vikings fans that have already planned a fun little weekend in Las Vegas leading up to Minnesota's Week 14 game on December 10th, a potential flex to Thursday night could lead to some unhappy members of the purple and gold fan base.