The Minnesota Vikings have tabulated a 14-2 record entering a pivotal Week 18 matchup against the Detroit Lions. That game will be on the road, which generally hurts the odds for the road team. However, in the 2024 season, the Vikings are 7-1 at home and 6-1 on the road, as well as 1-0 in London.
Confirmed: Vikings’ Opponents Dread Playing at U.S. Bank Stadium
U.S. Bank Stadium opened in 2016 to host the home games for the Minnesota Vikings, among numerous other events outside of football.
Since its opening, the Vikings have been 49-25 at home in their own bundling. The gameday experience includes various pre-game rituals that last about 15 minutes, a handful of Skol Chants throughout the day, plenty of horn sounds, and, of course, a lot of noise.
ESPN asked 111 players to rank the NFL’s locations, and the Vikings ranked 3rd, behind the Chiefs and the Seahawks. The three stadiums are listed in a tier called “The top 3 can leave you ‘scarred.’”
Ben Baby, ESPN’s staff writer, commented:
Minnesota’s U.S. Bank Stadium is an indoor facility, but even without the weather, the atmosphere is uncomfortable for opponents.
“You feel it,” New York Giants receiver Darius Slayton said. “As soon as you walk in there, everything is purple.
“You feel like you’re out of place there. That is what a good atmosphere does. It makes you feel like you’re in the wrong place. If you’re in a different color, you feel like you don’t belong in there.”
The seats are purple, the jerseys in the stands are purple, and the endzone is purple. Slayton played there in the 2022 playoffs and came out victorious. Unfortunately, the defense couldn’t match the crowd’s energy.
According to NFLpenalties.com, opponents have committed 19 false start penalties in Minnesota’s home, the most in the NFL. The stadium noise directly causes that.
Slayton wasn’t the only player Baby quoted:
San Francisco 49ers All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner said the fans in Minnesota had a profound effect on him.
“They made me think differently about how I approach just being on the sideline, just staying focused on the game and not worrying about everything else,” said Warner, who is 0-3 at U.S Bank.
One AFC South player who wished to remain anonymous remembered what it felt like when the Vikings jumped out to a quick lead.
“I heard that ‘Skol’ chant early and often,” he said. “Kind of scarred from that. But it’s a cool place.”
The Vikings finished a disappointing 2023 season with a 7-10 record, and going 2-6 at home was one of the major problems for the club. Winning home games was a point of emphasis in the offseason, and they have done that.
Kevin O’Connell and his crew can still clinch the NFC North victory by beating the Lions on Sunday. Not only would it secure the top spot in the NFC playoff race, but also a first-round bye week and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Detroit’s place ranks 10th. The Vikings have not won there since the 2020 season. They need to end the drought if they want to return to U.S. Bank Stadium in the 2024 postseason.
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt
#Vikings #Opponents #Dread #Playing #U.S #Bank #Stadium
