2014 SCHEDULE MINNESOTA VIKINGS Week Day Time Opponent 1 September 7 1:00PM ET @ St. Louis Rams 2 September 14 1:00PM ET New England Patriots 3 September 21 1:00PM ET @ New Orleans Saints 4 September 28 4:25PM ET Atlanta Falcons 5 October 2 8:25PM ET @ Green Bay Packers 6 October 12 1:00PM ET Detroit Lions 7 October 19 1:00PM ET @ Buffalo Bills 8 October 26 1:00PM ET @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9 November 2 1:00PM ET Washington Redskins 10 Bye Week 11 November 16 1:00PM ET @ Chicago Bears 12 November 23 1:00PM ET Green Bay Packers 13 November 30 1:00PM ET Carolina Panthers 14 December 7 1:00PM ET New York Jets 15 December 14 1:00PM ET @ Detroit Lions 16 December 21 1:00PM ET @ Miami Dolphins 17 December 28 1:00PM ET Chicago Bears Cordarelle Patterson Vikings Special Teams Special teams as a whole were a huge bright spot in what was otherwise a tough season for Minnesota. Cordarrelle Patterson established himself as one of the most dangerous open-field runners in the league, averaging 32.4 yards per kickoff return and scoring two touchdowns. He should be back in the kick return role, placing pressure on opposing kickers to force kickoffs deep into the end zone and earning touchbacks instead of allowing big returns. Marcus Sherels is set to return punts; he was very good in this role last year, averaging 15.2 yards per punt return although opponent punts were few and far between. Blair Walsh will return for his third season as the Vikings’ kicker. Walsh’s career is off to a great start as he’s converted 61 of 68 field goal attempts in two seasons. Jeff Locke will handle punting duties; his rookie performance in 2013 was solid but unspectacular. Prediction With a new head coach, rookie quarterback, Peterson and a plethora of offensive weapons, there are reasons for optimism in Minnesota. However, the defense still has holes, particularly at linebacker, and Bridgewater has a lot to prove after his draft day slide. The Vikings are a team in transition and are most likely to finish in last place in the NFC North, with something close to a 6-10 record. TOM DAHLIN/GETTY IMAGES SPORT
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