The Minnesota Vikings have had some bitter battles in the NFC North, but there have also been some out-of-division rivals they have picked up since their first season in the league, in 1961. Let's rank the Vikings' top five rivals of all time, and check out to see how the team has faired against them.
5. Kansas City Chiefs
There are many different teams who could hold the fifth spot, and it might be easier to list just the Vikings' top-four rivals. For their fifth-ranked rival we have to go all the way to back to Super Bowl IV, the first Minnesota ever played in. The Chiefs ended up winning that game 23-7.
Even though that was over 50 years ago, it seems whenever these two teams play each other it means a little more, especially to the fans. The Vikings and Chiefs have played 13 times total with the Chiefs winning eight of the games.
4. Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings doesn't have the spice like when they play the other teams in the NFC North, but it's still a team they play twice a year and they share a division. This rivalry certainly favors Minnesota, with the two teams meeting 117 times and the Vikings coming away 76 wins, the Lions with 39 wins, and two of the games ending in ties.
The Vikings beat the Lions 13 times in a row from 1968-74. The Lions have only had a winning record against Minnesota in one decade, and that was in the 1960's when they went 9-7-2.
3. New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints weren't much of a rival of the Minnesota Vikings until the 2009 season. The two teams faced off in the NFC Championship game, which the Saints won. After the game, there were claims of a bounty system in place by the Saints to try and hurt Vikings players, including then-quarterback Brett Favre.
Since that point, there have been a couple of big-time playoff matchups between the two teams, including the “Minneapolis Miracle” game where Stefon Diggs caught a touchdown pass on the last play of the game.
2. Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears' and Vikings' first game dates back all the way to September 1961, when the Vikings beat the Bears 37-13. With both teams in the NFC North, they face off (at least) twice a year, with plenty of high-scoring affairs going down between the two squads.
In 1995 the Vikings swept the Bears during the regular season, but once the playoffs rolled around, the Bears got the better of Minnesota. The two teams have faced off 118 times in their history with the Vikings leading the series 60-56-2. That win by the Bears in the 1995 playoffs was the only time the two teams faced off in the postseason. The longest win streak by either team is held by the Vikings, who won eight straight games from 1972-1978.
1. Green Bay Packers
There really is no doubt about the team to come in at No. 1. Every time the Vikings and Green Bay Packers play there is always a little extra on the line. The first time these two teams played was in October 1961, with the Packers coming away with a 33-7 victory.
This battle has always been fierce, but the last couple of decades it has become even more intense. When Green Bay Packers legend Brett Favre signed with the Vikings that only increased the tension between the two teams. There was also the game in 2017 when Aaron Rodgers' collarbone was broken on a play by Anthony Barr that some saw as dirty.
The Vikings and Packers have faced off 119 times with the Packers leading the all-time series 62-54-3. The Vikings do own the longest win streak in the rivalry, beating the Packers seven straight times from 1975-1978.
Follow Us
Subscribe