The Minnesota Vikings’ 2025 regular-season schedule has officially arrived. Let’s dive into five takeaways.
The Vikings have a whopping seven nationally-televised games this year. They’ll play twice on Sunday night, once on Monday night, twice on Thursdays (including a Christmas Day game against the Detroit Lions) and twice in international games. Those matchups will be broadcast on networks like ESPN, NBC, NFL Network, Prime Video and Netflix.
Seven national games might seem like a lot for a team with a preseason Vegas win total of just 8.5, but the Vikings have plenty of juicy storylines this year. Leading the way, of course, is former 10th overall pick and Michigan national champion J.J. McCarthy taking over for Sam Darnold as the starting quarterback of a team that won 14 games last year. The Vikings also have a superstar in Justin Jefferson, the reigning NFL Coach of the Year in Kevin O’Connell and an extremely talented roster on both sides of the ball. They’re a fascinating team heading into this season because if McCarthy is good, they could be a legitimate Super Bowl contender. He’s going to be tested in front of national audiences all year.
Of the Vikings’ seven national TV games, four are true “primetime” night games — and two of those happen in the first two weeks of the season. McCarthy’s first NFL start will come on Monday night at Soldier Field in Chicago, not far from his hometown of La Grange Park, Ill. That’ll be a fun way to wrap up Week 1 of the NFL season, considering it’ll also be Ben Johnson’s first game as Bears head coach. Then, on a slightly short week, the Vikings will welcome Michael Penix Jr. (and maybe Kirk Cousins?) and the Atlanta Falcons to U.S. Bank Stadium for Sunday Night Football. Back-to-back primetime games is quite the way to introduce McCarthy to the country.
Advertisement
The most notable and unusual part of the Vikings’ schedule is their two-week trip to Dublin and London, which is the first of its kind in NFL history. We’ve already covered that quite a bit since it was announced. It comes with real competitive advantages, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the players are going to like it. As anticipated, the Vikings will have a Week 6 bye after returning from what could be a trip of over 10 days. It’s the second year in a row their bye falls in Week 6 and follows a London game.
That means, once again, the Vikings will play games in 12 consecutive weeks to end the season. However, they’ll at least have a couple mini byes after Thursday games in Week 8 and Week 17. Staying healthy will obviously be crucial for the Vikings all year, but particularly in the second half.
The Vikings will hope to be at least 3-2 or 4-1 as they go into the bye week, because things get really difficult on the other side. On Oct. 19, they’ll host the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles at U.S. Bank Stadium. That’s followed by a trip west on a short week to play Jim Harbaugh’s Los Angeles Chargers in L.A. Then they go to Detroit to face the Lions (who have beaten them five times in a row) before coming home to face Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens. Those four teams went a combined 52-16 in the regular season last year. Even managing two wins in that stretch would be pretty impressive.
After some division games in mid-November and a stretch of four road games in five weeks stretching into mid-December, the Vikings’ schedule ends with a couple games that could have huge playoff implications. First, they’ll host the Lions on Christmas Day on a short week. Then, with some extra time to prepare, they’ll wrap up the regular season in Minneapolis against Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers on Jan. 4. If McCarthy plays well and the Vikings are a contender, there could be a ton on the line in those last two games against NFC North rivals.
So Minnesota: Lego King of Minneapolis builds Minnesota landmarks one brick at a time
Many kids will find Lego sets under the Christmas tree this holiday season, but the popular toy isn’t just for children.
Jeff Esler fell in love with Legos as a child, and that love affair has never ended.
“I am the Lego king of Minneapolis,” Esler said. “So my friends call me.”
Advertisement
A decade ago, Esler immortalized Nye’s Polonaise Room in Legos and posted it on Facebook.
“That one, it kind of went really viral,” Esler said. “I think I got 100,000 shares.”
Esler’s fame grew after he went on to use toy bricks to build mini masterpieces of Minnesota landmarks.
“I did Matt’s, and then I did Gluek’s,” Elser said. “I did the Frank Lloyd Wright gas station in Cloquet. Then, probably the Split Rock Lighthouse. The Grain Belt sign.”
Each project costs from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. They take a ton of bricks and days to build. Esler has sold some models and given others away.
Advertisement
“I do the landmarks, because they click with people,” Esler said.
Esler plans to keep building some of Minnesota’s most recognizable places one brick at a time.
Federal prosecutorsannounce indictments against two Philadelphia men they say submitted up to $3.5 million in fake and inflated bills to Minnesota Medicaid programs, WCCO-TV reports. “Minnesota has become a magnet for fraud, so much so that we have developed a fraud tourism industry,” U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson said.
State Rep. Kristin Robbins alleges – without sharing a name or other evidence – that the Minnesota Department of Human Services paid state money to a Feeding Our Future defendant while they were awaiting trial, the Minnesota Reformer reports. Robbins, who chairs a legislative fraud oversight committee and is running for governor, says she has collected hundreds of whistleblower tips, but she has not shared them with the department’s inspector general.
The state has suspended or delayed payments to several social service providers as part of an effort to catch and prevent fraud, and now one of those providers says the crackdown had deadly consequences, KARE 11 reports. A service provider says a vulnerable adult client was found dead in his St. Paul apartment after the state froze payments that had been covering his care.
Rolling Stone writer Stephen Rodrick, who spent time with Melissa Hortman while covering Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz during the 2024 presidential campaign, writes about the life of the late Minnesota House Speaker in a 7,000-word profile based on interviews with dozens of family, friends and colleagues.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Temperatures dropping, snow and strong winds are set to come through the state Thursday.
Here’s what to expect for Thursday’s winter weather.
Advertisement
What to expect for Thursday’s snow, dropping temps
What to expect:
A winter weather advisory is in place for parts of Minnesota, including the Twin Cities Thursday.
Advertisement
A warm front overnight Wednesday will bring rain, then a cold front Thursday is expected to bring snow.
Temperatures are expected to drop significantly, which could cause slippery roads for the morning and evening commute.
There is also a blizzard warning for the far northwest of Minnesota Thursday.
Advertisement
A wind advisory is in place for the southwest portion of the state on Thursday, which could bring wind speeds of up to 50 mph.
An inch or two of snow is expected, but road conditions will deteriorate throughout the day Thursday. As the cold front moves through the state late Thursday morning, winds could be 40–50 mph.
Advertisement
Due to strong winds, any snow that falls could reduce viability when driving Thursday. Temperatures are expected to fall into single digits by the evening.
Extended forecast
What’s next:
Advertisement
Friday could see a few flurries with temperatures in the low 20s. Saturday will have occasional passing clouds and highs in the upper 20s, while Sunday is cooler, but comes with more sunshine.
Temperatures warm back into the 30s for the start of next week.
