Minnesota Vikings' Schedule Paves Clear Path to Postseason

Looking at the Vikings' 2009 schedule, this year’s NFC North is clearly Minnesota’s to lose.

The Vikings are, save for a proven quarterback, solid throughout their roster and have what it takes to be a playoff team. And that doesn’t even factor in the team’s opponents throughout the year.

Now, here comes the fun part: Minnesota’s schedule is filled with teams that struggled in 2008. The Vikings will have an opportunity to win perhaps 11 games this year if they take care of business against inferior opponents.

The key to a good season? Getting off to a strong start. Minnesota potentially will have that luxury in ’09.

Of the first five games this season, Minnesota will get a shot at Cleveland, Detroit, San Francisco, Green Bay, and St. Louis. Not one of those teams finished above .500 last season, and three of them won fewer than five games.

Those five teams' combined won-loss total a year ago was 19-61. The Vikings have a chance to begin the season with four or five wins before they face their first opponent with a winning record from a year ago in Week Six.

In all, Minnesota will see five playoff teams from a year ago and only six teams that were over .500 last season. They’ll face five teams that had fewer than five wins a year ago.

Sure, they’ll have their obstacles.

For instance, they’ll see both Super Bowl participants from a year ago—at Pittsburgh on Oct. 25 and at Arizona on Dec. 6—and of the five teams with winning records a year ago, the Vikings will face three of them on the road.

But the Vikings finished 10-6 and hosted their first home playoff game since 2000 last year, and they did it while struggling to find consistency at the quarterback position.

Give Minnesota a reliable cog under center, which might not become fully clear until training camp, and the Vikings are in prime position to jaunt through the regular season and back to January football.