FanPost

Our 2011 Schedule Thread

There is a sickness that spreads like wildfire across NFL message boards and blogs this time of year in, oh, about 20 different cities--the 20 that aren't prepping for their team's shot in the postseason. I've already cried myself to sleep countless times, so I'm over that. I've already delivered my below-the-belt, childish blows at my friends and their teams in an unsuccessful attempt to kill their playoff spirits (damn Bears fans), so we're good there. I've made my excuses, I've exhausted the Favre talk...sigh... What is there left to do?

START PREPPING AND PREDICTING FOR 2011! That's right, it's time to devote a DN FanPost to the 2011 Vikings schedule. Schedules aren't released until Spring, you say? Rubbish! You can do it yourself! And here's how:

If you haven't figured it out already--and quite frankly, if you have the capacity to log on here and post your deepest darkest Viking thoughts, you should know--NFL teams play each other on a divisional rotation, with both the AFC and the NFC. If you'd like to know who the Vikes are slated to take on in 2011, simply go back to 2007 (you know, every fourth year, yattah yattah yattah...get it yet?). Lo and behold, 2011 brings back games against the ever-improving South division from the NFC--uh, sans the Panthers--and the West division from the AFC.

How do we know which games are home or away? Go opposite of '07. I have yet to see a four-year rotation where this isn't the case. So, based on where the Vikes played back then, the games against the NFC South and AFC West should be as follows (I say should, because, let's face it, we could see a LOT of changes in the NFL beginning next season, and that includes the prospect of an 18-game season...should there even be one):

Home: Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New Orleans Saints

Away: Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers

Let's assume all of us here at the DN know that six of our games also look like this:

Home/Away: Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers. We good there? Please say yes? Okay, good. So if my math serves me correctly--notoriously not something to bet the farm on--we have seven road and home games covered thus far, leaving two missing teams, one home and one away. This part of the research was pretty trying, because the rotation the NFL uses for the two seemingly "random" remaining games doesn't make itself abundantly clear. What I found, though, was that since 2007 these final two games have been as follows (with no regard to who is home or away; there was no clear pattern):

07: Atlanta/San Francisco; 08: Arizona/New York Giants; 09: Carolina/New York Giants; 10: New Orleans/Arizona

See? No pattern. Although, I think it is clear that the final two teams are taken from the two NFC divisions that the Vikes are not on rotation with for that year (one from each). So since we have the South to deal with in 2011, I would assume the Vikes will play a team from the West and a team from the East. I can't be sure on which teams will be chosen, but this is how I've spitballed this...and it's pretty good. My apologies for the use of the collective "we," but the Vikings, they be a part of me *Irish accent*:

In the East division, we've exhausted matchups with the Giants, so I don't see playing them as very likely. We have also played the Eagles two out of three seasons, so let's write them off. Here's a thought though: what if McNabb hasn't found a new home by the time the schedules are released? The likelihood of him landing in Minnesota, let's just face it, is rather good. How about the one remaining road game being his "homecoming" back to Washington? And as for the remaining home game (at TFC Snow Bank, remember!), I see the Rams. We have exhausted matchups with Arizona recently and just played San Francisco at home last season (2009). St. Louis hasn't been to Minneapolis since '06, so I'm plugging them in there.

And that's it, people! A couple games spitballed there at the end#, but when the schedules are released in the coming months, the Vikings' should resemble somewhat what was just covered here. Here are the tentative matchups again, laid out a little more cleanly:

Home: Chicago, Detroit, Green Bay, Denver, Kansas City, Tampa Bay, New Orleans, St. Louis#

Away: Chicago, Detroit, Green Bay, Oakland, San Diego, Atlanta, Carolina, Washington#

And the sickness, that is over-optimism and over-preparation for events that will not transpire for eight months, continues to ravage my mind and soul. I need something to wallow in though. And at this point, I'm choosing to get wrapped up in Leslie's first year at the helm, with a new QB, in a new stadium, and I just couldn't help but wonder: Who will we play and how will we fare?

Use this time to offer some extremely early predicitions for the Vikings' record next season and thoughts about the matchups! Enjoy and thanks for your time.

Austin N.

This FanPost was created by a registered user of The Daily Norseman, and does not necessarily reflect the views of the staff of the site. However, since this is a community, that view is no less important.