Vikings Diversity Coaching Summit

The NFL has a diversity issue in it’s coaching ranks. Minnesota Vikings assistant head coach Mike Pettine is stepping up and tackling that issue. This week, he and the Vikings opened team headquarters to a coaching diversity workshop. Most of the NFL’s efforts to improve diversity have been to strong arm teams into interviewing minority candidates for head coach, coordinator, and general manager positions. The focus is on the top jobs. Pettine’s project is focused on helping minorities at the entry level of the NFL coaching profession. He’s hoping to give their development a little push and to perhaps increase their opportunities. He’s had the idea for a few years and is finally getting it rolling. He’s doing something where others aren’t and the league hasn’t. 

12 minority coaches participated in a three-day summit that included presentations, group activities, and mock interviews. They also spent time on field with Vikings players during this week’s OTAs. 

From Pettine:

The real basic premise of the program is really to feed the candidate pool for the NFL from the bottom up. I don't think there's enough emphasis placed on the entry-level jobs, which is why the target for these candidates, really, they weren't college position coaches.

These are QCs (quality control coaches) that are analysts, graduate assistants, because … on a lot of NFL staffs, that's the glue. People don't realize how important a lot of those positions are. I do think this establishes a little bit of a different niche than the Bill Walsh fellowship program, because a lot of those jobs and opportunities typically go to college position coaches or college coordinators.

The 12 coaches received hands-on experience with NFL players and coaches, they made contacts, they received feedback. These are coaches that need and deserve an opportunity. Perhaps this program will help them get that opportunity. Perhaps it gives them the tools and/or the incentive to get that opportunity. 

The 12 Coaches:

Imarjaye Albury, Sr.

-worked with the Vikings defensive line and outside linebackers

Currently: Vikings personnel department

Previously: Cortland State (2017), Ave Maria (2018), Arkansas Graduate Assistant (2018-19), Vikings Quality Control-Defense and assistant Defensive Line (2020-21)

Education: West Virginia and Florida International

Reggie Bain

-worked with the Vikings offensive line

Currently: University of Miami Graduate Assistant

Previously: Illinois Graduate Assistant (2021)

Education: Florida Atlantic (bachelor’s), University of Miami (enrolled in master’s program)

Mark Cala

-worked with Vikings quarterbacks

Currently: Arkansas Offensive Analyst

Previously: University of Puget Sound (2015-16), Florida Atlantic (2017), University of Houston (2018), Florida State (2019-20)

Education: University of Puget Sound

Cortez Carter

-worked with Vikings inside linebackers

Currently: Florida State Defensive Analyst

Previously: Brooke Point High School (2015), Marshall University Graduate Assistant (2016-17), Lock Haven University (2018), Memphis Graduate Assistant (2019)

Education: Marshall University and Memphis

Ryan “Chili” Davis

-worked with Vikings receivers and special teams

Currently: Florida A&M Special Teams Coordinator

Previously: Campbell University (2012-15), Louisiana Tech (2015-16), Fordham University (2015), New Mexico State (2017-21), University of Washington (2021), Grambling (2021-April 2022)

Education: Campbell University

Kenji Jackson

-worked with Vikings defensive backs

Currently: Northern Arizona Defensive Backs

Previously: Northwestern Graduate Assistant (2014), Missouri State (2014-20), Arkansas (2020-22)

Education: Missouri and Northwestern

Courtney Love

-worked with Vikings inside linebackers

Currently: Kentucky Director of Player Development

Previously: Kentucky Graduate Assistant (2018)

Education: Nebraska and Kentucky 

Jeremy Modkins

-worked with Vikings defensive backs

Currently: TCU (2014-22)

Education TCU

Jordan Reid

-worked with Vikings receivers

Currently: Wake Forest Graduate Assistant

Previously: Ohio University Graduate Assistant (2019-20)

Education: Ohio University

Ahmad Smith

-worked with Vikings defensive backs

Currently: South Carolina Defensive Analyst

Previously: Indiana State Student Assistant/Graduate Assistant (2014-17), Rose-Holman Institute of Technology (2017-18), Western Kentucky Graduate Assistant (2018-19)

Education: Indiana State and Western Kentucky

Roseanna Smith

-worked with Vikings running backs

Currently: Oberlin College Running Backs and Director of Football Operations

Previously: Winder-Barrow High School (2010-13), Flowery Branch High School (2015-16), Atlanta Phoenix (2020) West Hall High School (2017-21)

Education: Iowa 

Earnest Thomas III

-worked with Vikings defensive backs

Currently: Tennessee Defensive Analyst

Previously: Michigan Elite Football Club (2015-18), Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (2017-18), Massachusetts Graduate Assistant (2019-20)

Education: Illinois

***

It’s crazy that a couple of these coaches have been plugging away at the profession longer than Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell. 

Minnesota Vikings Roster: How Did They Get Here?

I might be spending too much time pondering the 90-man roster of the Minnesota Vikings. Here’s a look at how the 90 players were brought to Minnesota. 

Draft: First Round

Harrison Smith (2012)

Garrett Bradbury (2109)

Justin Jefferson (2020)

Christian Darrisaw (2021)

Lewis Cine (2022)

Draft: Second Round

Eric Kendricks (2015)

Dalvin Cook (2017)

Brian O’Neill (2018)

Irv Smith Jr. (2019)

Ezra Cleveland (2020)

Andrew Booth Jr. (2022)

Ed Ingram (2022)

Draft: Third Round

Danielle Hunter (2015)

Alexander Mattison (2019)

Cameron Dantzler (2020)

Kellen Mond (2021)

Chazz Suratt (2021)

Wyatt Davis (2021)

Patrick Jones II (2021)

Brian Asamoah (2022)

Draft: Fourth Round

D.J. Wonnum (2020)

James Lynch (2020)

Troy Dye (2020)

Kene Nwangwu (2021)

Camryn Bynum (2021)

Janarius Robinson (2021)

Akayleb Evans (2022)

Draft: Fifth Round

Harrison Hand (2020)

K.J. Osborn (2020)

Ihmir Smith-Marsette (2021)

Zach Davidson (2021)

Esezi Otomewo (2022)

Ty Chandler (2022)

Draft: Sixth Round

Armon Watts (2019)

Oli Udoh (2019)

Josh Metellus (2020)

Blake Brandel (2020)

Jaylen Twyman (2021)

Vederian Lowe (2022)

Jalen Nailor (2022)

Draft: Seventh Round

Kris Boyd (2019)

Olabisi Johnson (2019)

Kenny Willekes (2020)

Kyle Hinton (2020)

Nate Stanley (2020)

Nick Muse (2022)

Undrafted Free Agent

Adam Thielen (2013)

C.J. Ham (2016)

Blake Lynch (2020)

Dan Chisena (2020)

Myles Dorn (2020)

Jake Bargas (2020)

Blake Proehl (2021)

Myron Mitchell (2021)

A.J. Rose Jr. (2021)

Luiji Vilain (2022)

Mike Brown (2022)

Thomas Hennigan (2022)

Bryant Koback (2022)

Zach McCloud (2022)

Josh Sokol (2022)

Tyarise Stevenson (2022)

Ryan Wright (2022)

Gabe Brkic (2022)

William Kwenkeu (2022)

Unrestricted Free Agent

Kirk Cousins (2018)

Patrick Peterson (2021)

Dalvin Tomlinson (2021)

Tye Smith (2021)

Harrison Phillips (2022)

Chandon Sullivan (2022)

Johnny Mundt (2022)

Nate Hairston (2022)

Chris Reed (2022)

Austin Schlottman (2022)

Street Free Agent

Andrew DePaola (2020)

Greg Joseph (2021)

Jordan Berry (2021)

Sean Mannion (2021)

Timon Parris (2021)

T.J. Smith (2021)

T.Y. McGill (2021)

Trishton Jackson (2021)

Parry Nickerson (2021)

Za’Darius Smith (2022)

Jordan Hicks (2022)

Jesse Davis (2022)

Jullian Taylor (2022)

Waivers

Ryan Connelly (2020)

Ben Ellefson (2021)

Minnesota Vikings 90-man Roster w/Numbers

The Minnesota Vikings 90-man roster was tweaked again after the team’s rookie tryouts over the weekend. Undrafted out of Temple, linebacker William Kwenkeu was added to the roster. Linebacker Tuf Borland was released to make room on the roster for Kwenkeu. One of the most interesting stories since the draft has been the jersey journey of first-round pick Lewis Cine. He was introduced to the media immediately following the draft with a #6 jersey. He expressed a preference for the #16 that he wore at Georgia. That # wasn’t available with the Vikings. When the team released the jersey #s of the rookies last week, Cine had his #16. When the rookies arrived last Friday for their first workouts with the Vikings, Cine was wearing #6. He’s #6. He said that he’s #6. The jersey journey of Lewis Cine is finally done. Punter Jordan Berry wore #6 last season. He was spotted wearing #16 at this week’s OTAs. With the jersey # business finally being settled, here’s a look at the 90 players currently on the Minnesota Vikings roster and the numbers that go with them. 

Minnesota Vikings Roster

Offense

Quarterbacks (4)

  8 Kirk Cousins

14 Sean Mannion

11 Kellen Mond

12 Nate Stanley

Running Backs (6)

  4 Dalvin Cook

  2 Alexander Mattison

26 Kene Nwangwu

32 Ty Chandler

31 A.J. Rose Jr.

38 Bryant Koback

Fullbacks (2)

30 C.J. Ham

36 Jake Bargas

Receivers (11)

19 Adam Thielen

18 Justin Jefferson

17 K.J. Osborn

15 Ihmir Smith-Marsette

85 Dan Chisena

81 Olabisi Johnson

83 Jalen Nailor

13 Blake Proehl

87 Myron Mitchell

  9 Trishton Jackson

89 Thomas Hennigan

Tight Ends (5)

84 Irv Smith Jr.

86 Johnny Mundt

82 Ben Ellefson

40 Zach Davidson

34 Nick Muse

Tackles (6)

71 Christian Darrisaw

75 Brian O’Neill

74 Oli Udoh

64 Blake Brandel

63 Vederian Lowe

61 Timon Parris

Guards (7)

72 Ezra Cleveland

73 Jesse Davis

62 Chris Reed

52 Wyatt Davis

67 Ed Ingram

68 Kyle Hinton

65 Austin Schlottman

Centers (2)

56 Garrett Bradbury

60 Josh Sokol

Defense

Defensive Linemen (10)

94 Dalvin Tomlinson

97 Harrison Phillips

98 Armon Watts

92 James Lynch

93 Jaylen Twyman

78 Jullian Taylor

90 Esezi Otomeow

76 T.Y. McGill

50 T.J. Smith

51 Tyarise Stevenson

Edge (7)

99 Danielle Hunter

55 Za’Darius Smith

98 D.J. Wonnum

91 Patrick Jones II

95 Janarius Robinson

79 Kenny Willekes

43 Luiji Vilain

Linebackers (9)

54 Eric Kendricks

58 Jordan Hicks

33 Brian Asamoah

41 Chazz Suratt

48 Blake Lynch

45 Troy Dye

57 Ryan Connelly 

59 Zach McCloud

47 William Kwenkeu

Cornerbacks (10)

  7 Patrick Peterson

  3 Cameron Dantzler

23 Andrew Booth Jr.

21 Akayleb Evans

39 Chandon Sullivan

29 Kris Boyd

27 Nate Hairston

20 Harrison Hand

  5 Tye Smith

35 Parry Nickerson

Safeties (6)

22 Harrison Smith

  6 Lewis Cine

24 Camryn Bynum

44 Josh Metellus

46 Miles Dorn

37 Mike Brown

Special Teams

Kicker (2)

  1 Greg Joseph

49 Gabe Brkic

Punters (2)

16 Jordan Berry

66 Ryan Wright

Long Snapper (1)

42 Andrew DePaola

Minnesota Vikings Evolving Front Office

Teams with new general managers often make a few tweaks to the front office after the draft. Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah did just that yesterday. The Vikings hired Demitrius Washington as its vice president of football operations and strategy. 

Washington had worked in the front office of the San Francisco 49ers for the past seven seasons. The first several of those years were spent working with Adofo-Mensah in the team’s football research and development department. Washington worked on developing predictive and statistical analysis for the 49ers. With the Vikings, he will have one of the most senior roles in the team’s front office. 

From Kwesi Adofo-Mensah:

We couldn’t be more excited to have Demitrius join the Vikings front office. He is one of the most uniquely gifted people I have met in my time in the NFL. He is able to learn complex ideas, make them simple, and apply them in all facets of the organization. He has learned from some of the best minds in the game today and he will continue to flourish in his role with the Vikings. 

The Minnesota Vikings evolving front office:

General Manager

Kwesi Adofo-Mensah

Executive Vice President-Football Operations

Rob Brzezinski

Vice President of Football Operations

Demitrius Washington

Co-Director of Player Personnel

Ryan Monnens

Co-Director of Player Personnel

Jamaal Stephenson

Senior Football Advisor

Ryan Grigson

Director of Pro Scouting

                ?

Assistant Director of Pro Scouting

Chris Blanco

Director of College Scouting

Mike Sholiton

Assistant Director of College Scouting

Pat Roberts

National Scout

Chisom Opara

College Scouts

Frank Acevedo

Jake Essler

Blaine Gramer

Sean Gustus

Kevin McCabe

College Scout/BLESTO

Mitch Johnson-Martin

Special Assistant to the GM/Player Development Manager

Kaitlin Zarecki

Player Personnel Assistant

Caroline DeFelice

Director, Analytics/Pro Scout

Scott Kuhn

Manager, Analytics

Rex Johnson

Football Analyst

Chris French

Executive Director, Football Information Systems

Paul Nelson

Senior Manager, Football Information Systems

Luke Burson

Database Administrator 

Mike Desplenter

Programmer

Derek McCormick

Football Administration Coordinator

Emily Badis

Football Data Analyst

David Blando

Player Personnel Consultant

Paul Wiggin

Scouting Associates

Taylor Brooks

Alex Dale

***

Denver Broncos general manager George Paton turned again to the Vikings for one of his top front office assistants. He swiped Director of Pro Scouting Reed Burckhardt. That leaves the Vikings with a significant vacancy. Perhaps Assistant Director of Pro Scouting Chris Blanco is promoted. Perhaps Adofo-Mensah looks outside the organization. The Vikings front office will continue to evolve. 

Minnesota Vikings Depth Chart?

All 90 players on the Minnesota Vikings roster will be together on a practice field for the first time today. To celebrate that momentous occasion here’s a stab at the team’s depth chart. 

Minnesota Vikings Depth Chart?

Offense

Quarterbacks (4)

Kirk Cousins

Sean Mannion

Kellen Mond

Nate Stanley

This is pretty straightforward. The only real question is whether Kellen Mond can take the backup job from Sean Mannion. 

Running Backs (6)

Dalvin Cook

Alexander Mattison

Kene Nwangwu

Ty Chandler

A.J. Rose Jr.

Bryant Koback

The biggest question concerning the Vikings running backs is whether four make the 53-man roster. The top three certainly will make the roster. I don’t see Ty Chandler safely making it to the practice squad. In mid-May, I see the Vikings keeping four running backs. 

Fullbacks (2)

C.J. Ham

Jake Bargas

C.J. Ham is the Vikings fullback. 

Wide Receivers (11)

Justin Jefferson

Adam Thielen

K.J. Osborn

Ihmir Smith-Marsette

Olabisi Johnson

Jalen Nailor

Dan Chisena

Trishton Jackson

Myron Mitchell

Blake Proehl

Thomas Hennigan

The top four receivers feel set. It should be a fun chase for the final one or two spots. I’m leaning two with Jalen Nailor and Dan Chisena using special teams to pass Olabisi Johnson. 

Tight Ends (5)

Irv Smith Jr.

Johnny Mundt

Zach Davidson

Nick Muse

Ben Ellefson

The competition to back up Irv Smith Jr. might be one of the more interesting, under-the-radar competitions of training camp. 

Left Tackle (3)

Christian Darrisaw

Vederian Lowe

Oli Udoh

Left Guard (3)

Ezra Cleveland

Wyatt Davis

Kyle Hinton

Center (2)

Garrett Bradbury

Josh Sokol

Right Guard (3)

Ed Ingram

Chris Reed

Austin Schlottman

Right Tackle (4)

Brian O’Neill

Jesse Davis

Blake Brandel

Timon Parris

After the starters, the positions of the backups is as much a guess as anything. The only thing certain about the Vikings offensive line is that Christian Darrisaw, Brian O’Neill, and Ezra Cleveland are starters and that Garrett Bradbury currently tops the depth chart at center. The battle for the right guard job will be one of the most-watched and biggest competitions of the offseason and training camp. It’s certainly the most contested. Ed Ingram, Chris Reed, Jesse Davis, Wyatt Davis, Austin Schlottman, and perhaps others will be part of the competition. One or more of those players and Josh Sokol may also give Bradbury a run for the center job. 

Defense

Defensive Line (10)

Harrison Phillips

Dalvin Tomlinson

Armon Watts

James Lynch

Jaylen Twyman

Esezi Otomewo 

Jullian Taylor

T.Y. McGill

T.J. Smith

Tyarise Stevenson

Edge (8)

Danielle Hunter

Za’Darius Smith

D.J. Wonnum

Patrick Jones II

Kenny Willekes

Janarius Robinson 

Luiji Vilain

Zach McCloud

By the time the season starts, I hope that I’m able to properly express the Vikings defensive front two-dimensionally. They’ll be a base 3-4. It’ll take a while to get used to that little change. That’s just a starting point for what I believe will be a variety of defensive fronts. Danielle Hunter and Za’Darius Smith terrorizing quarterbacks off the edge and Harrison Phillips and Dalvin causing havoc on the interior are currently the only certainties. I’m curious to see what defensive coordinator Ed Donatell and coaches Chris Rumph, Mike Smith, and Greg Manusky have planned for this group. 

Inside Linebackers (8)

Eric Kendricks

Jordan Hicks

Brian Asamoah

Chazz Suratt

Blake Lynch

Troy Dye

Ryan Connelly

Tuf Borland

It’ll be strange to not see Anthony Barr paired with Eric Kendricks. The starters are set with Kendricks and Jordan Hicks. There’s solid depth behind them. The wildcard of this group is third-round pick Brian Asamoah. I have a feeling he’s going to force the coaches into getting him on the field as often as possible. 

Cornerbacks (10)

Patrick Peterson

Cameron Dantzler

Chandon Sullivan

Andrew Booth Jr. 

Akayleb Evans

Kris Boyd

Harrison Hand

Nate Hairston

Tye Smith

Parry Nickerson

The Vikings cornerback group was pretty bleak at the start of the offseason. What a difference a few months can make. In mid-May, I see the starters as Patrick Peterson and Cameron Dantzler with Chandon Sullivan in the slot. I believe that second-round pick Andrew Booth Jr. will play his way onto the field by the start of the season. I really like Booth, Dantzler, and Akayleb Evans as the future of the Vikings cornerbacks 

Safeties (6)

Harrison Smith

Lewis Cine

Camryn Bynum

Josh Metellus 

Myles Dorn

Mike Brown

This group is going to be fun. Harrison Smith is great. With each day since he was drafted in the first round, Lewis Cine impresses me more. Going into the draft, I was a huge fan of the Vikings safety pairing of Smith and Camryn Bynum. I was such a fan that I was actually a little disappointed that Cine was the pick at #32. I’m no longer disappointed and I’m a bit ashamed that I ever was. I’m thrilled with the possibility of a three-safety nickel. I’m excited to see Lewis Cine in the Vikings defense. 

Special Teams

Kickers (2)

Greg Joseph

Gabe Brkic

Punters (2)

Jordan Berry

Ryan Wright

Long Snapper (1)

Andrew DePaola

The only thing certain about the specialists is that Andrew DePaola will be doing the long snapping. Greg Joseph and Jordan Berry enter the competition as the favorites to kick and punt. Still, I like the chances of the youngsters. 

NFL First Round Signing Tracker

The 2022 NFL Draft is in the books. It’s signing time. The Green Bay Packers got the first round signing started. They signed their two first-round picks before the draft was a week old. 

1.   Jacksonville Jaguars: Travon Walker, Edge, Georgia-Signed

2.   Detroit Lions: Aidan Hutchinson, Edge, Michigan-Signed

3.   Houston Texans: Derek Stingley Jr., CB, LSU-Signed

4.   New York Jets: Ahmad Gardner, CB, Cincinnati-Signed

5.   New York Giants: Kayvon Thibodeaux, Edge, Oregon-Signed

6.   Carolina Panthers: Ikem Ekonwu, OT, North Carolina State-Signed

7.   New York Giants: Evan Neal, OT, Alabama-Signed

8.   Atlanta Falcons: Drake London, WR, USC-Signed

9.   Seattle Seahawks: Charles Cross, OT, Mississippi State

10. New York Jets: Garrett Wilson, WR, Ohio State

11. New Orleans Saints: Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State-Signed

12. Detroit Lions: Jameson Williams, WR, Alabama-Signed

13. Philadelphia Eagles: Jordan Davis, DT, Georgia-Signed

14. Baltimore Ravens: Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame

15. Houston Texans: Kenyon Green, OG, Texas A&M

16. Washington Commanders: Jahan Dotson, WR, Penn State

17. Los Angeles Chargers: Zion Johnson, OG, Boston College

18. Tennessee Titans: Treylon Burks, WR, Arkansas 

19. New Orleans Saints: Trevor Penning, OT, Northern Iowa-Signed

20. Pittsburgh Steelers: Kenny Pickett, QB, Pittsburgh

21. Kansas City Chiefs: Trent McDuffie, CB, Washington-Signed

22. Green Bay Packers: Quay Walker, LB, Georgia-Signed

23. Buffalo Bills: Kaiir Elam, CB, Florida-Signed

24. Dallas Cowboys: Tyler Smith, OT, Tulsa-Signed

25. Baltimore Ravens: Tyler Linderbaum, C, Iowa

26. New York Jets: Jermaine Johnson II, Edge, Florida State

27. Jacksonville Jaguars: Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah-Signed

28. Green Bay Packers: Devonte Wyatt, DT, Georgia-Signed

29. New England Patriots: Cole Strange, OG, Tennessee-Chattanooga 

30. Kansas City Chiefs: George Karlaftis, Edge, Purdue-Signed

31. Cincinnati Bengals: Daxton Hill, S, Michigan

32. Minnesota Vikings: Lewis Cine, S, Georgia-Signed

***

20/32 signed. 

The 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement overhauled the rookie signing process. One would think that after 11 years I’d be used to the ease with which teams now sign their draft picks. It still amazes me that nearly 63% of the first round picks are signed two weeks after the close of the draft. 

With a new regime in town, I was curious as to how the Minnesota Vikings would go about the signing of their draft picks. Over the past decade, the Vikings often made quick work of these signings. There were a couple years in which the signings were done before the draft was a week old. They seemed to favor getting all their rookies signed before they practiced. Having come over from the Los Angeles Rams, I thought that Kevin O’Connell might favor that team’s unique approach to their rookies. The Rams are usually the last team to start signing their draft picks. They wait until after they have put their rookies through classes on finances and overall management of their new professional football life. With this week’s signings of most of their draft picks, it appears that the new Vikings regime favor getting their rookie class under contract before they step on a practice field. Time ran out on doing that as the rookies practiced this weekend and four draft picks remain unsigned. 

Vikings Rookie Signings:

1. Lewis Cine, S, Georgia-Signed

2. Andrew Booth Jr., CB, Clemson

2. Ed Ingram, G, LSU

3. Brian Asomoah, LB, Oklahoma

4. Akayleb Evans, CB, Missouri

5. Esezi Otomeco, DL, Minnesota-Signed

5. Ty Chandler, RB, North Carolina-Signed

6. Vederian Lowe, OT, Illinois-Signed

6. Jalen Nailor, WR, Michigan State-Signed

7. Nick Muse, TE, South Carolina-Signed

The Vikings still have some signing work to do. 

Minnesota Vikings 2022 Schedule

After all these years, I’m still amazed that the NFL makes the release of the schedule an event, a prime time televised event. We’ve known all of the matchups since the end of the previous season. It’s only the “when” that’s an unknown. The NFL makes the “when” a prime time televised event. Actually, it’s a week of big-game releases leading up to a prime time televised event. Despite the annual fact that the entire schedule gets leaked before the event even airs. The NFL will always celebrate the NFL. Anyway, we now have the 2022 schedule of the Minnesota Vikings. That’s all we wanted. That’s all we needed. 

2022 Minnesota Vikings Schedule

Week	Day	Date	Opponent	Time (PT)
1	Sunday	Sept. 11	Green Bay Packers	1:25 PM
2	Monday	Sept. 19	@ Philadelphia Eagles	5:30 PM
3	Sunday	Sept. 25	Detroit Lions	10:00 AM
4	Sunday	Oct. 2	@ New Orleans (London)	6:30 AM
5	Sunday	Oct. 9	Chicago Bears	10:00 AM
6	Sunday	Oct. 16	@ Miami Dolphins	10:00 AM
7	Sunday	Oct. 23	BYE
8	Sunday	Oct. 30	Arizona Cardinals	10:00 AM
9	Sunday	Nov. 6	@ Washington Commanders	10:00 AM
10	Sunday	Nov. 13	@ Buffalo Bills	10:00 AM
11	Sunday	Nov. 20	Dallas Cowboys	1:25 PM
12	Thursday	Nov. 24	New England Patriots	5:20 PM
13	Sunday	Dec. 4	New York Jets	10:00 AM
14	Sunday	Dec. 11	@ Detroit Lions	10:00 AM
15	Sat/Sun	Dec. 17/18	Indianapolis Colts	TBD
16	Saturday	Dec. 24	New York Giants	10:00 AM
17	Sunday	Jan. 1	@ Green Bay Packers	1:25 PM
18	Sat/Sun	Jan. 7/8	@ Chicago Bears	TBD

The Good:

-Starting at home against the Green Bay Packers. It’s always fun to start a season with a bang.

-Only two back-to-back road games.

-Thanksgiving at home! Since the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys have been the traditional hosts of Thanksgiving games, the Vikings have never hosted one. They will this season. 

-Home games on either side of the home Thanksgiving game. Short weeks always suck. It’s nice to not have travel a part of it. 

-Nine home games!

The Bad: 

-A London game. No offense to the ecstatic UK Vikings fans but traveling to London for a game can be rough. An NFL season turns into a routine. These extended trips and accommodations are outside that routine. It can be disruptive. And a 6:30 start is a too damn early start to this west coast Vikings fan.

-@ Green Bay and @ Chicago to end the season. 

In my opinion, the only things that make an NFL schedule a shit schedule is a too early bye and extended road trips. The Vikings have neither with this schedule. A later bye would be better but Week 7 isn’t bad. I’d prefer that the Vikings not have a London game but it probably isn’t that big of a deal for the players and coaches that are making the trip. At least the New Orleans Saints are the “home” team so the Vikings aren’t losing a home game. 

The Vikings chose not to have their bye following the London game. Apparently, in the history of regular season London games only five teams have chosen not to have their bye during the week following the trip. The Vikings wisely decided that in a 17+-week season, Week 5 is too early for the bye. 

From Week 11 - Week 16, the Vikings play five home games in six weeks. With that sort of home stretch, it’s a little surprising that they only have two back-to-back road games. Those two back-back-back road games are separated by that six-week mostly home stretch. 

Last year, the Vikings made several trips west. They had a four-week stretch during which they traveled to Baltimore, to Los Angeles, and to San Francisco. That’s probably more rough than one trip to London. Even though I was able to attend the two West Coast games, last year’s schedule was a shit schedule. This year, their western-most games are their nine home games. That happens when a team is paired with the East teams of each conference. 

The only real grumble that I have with this schedule is ending the season on the road in Green Bay and in Chicago. Even that doesn’t seem that bad. The bye might’ve been better in Week 9 before the back half of the season heats up against the Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys, and New England Patriots. With that Week 4 London trip, maybe a Week 7 bye is for the best. Most things considered, the Minnesota Vikings 2022 Schedule is a fine schedule.