NFL stadiums are such a huge part of the iconography of the league. Every team's stadium is unique in one way or another, from Lambeau Field with its historic charms to SoFi Stadium, an ultra-modern cathedral to football. Every fanbase loves their stadium and also has an appreciation for others around the league. One former NFL player claimed on Sunday that one stadium is the most underrated in the entire league.
Former NFL defensive lineman JJ Watt has seen every stadium in the NFL, so he knows a thing or two about what makes for a good one. Watt made the bold claim that the Vikings boast one of the most underrated stadiums in the NFL.
“Minnesota Viking stadium is easily one of the most underrated stadiums in all of sports in my opinion,” Watt posted on X, formerly Twitter. “Place is awesome.”
Watt is of course referring to U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The stadium opened in 2016 and is a fixed-roof stadium, meaning it does not have a retractable roof. The Vikings have done a great job with the stadium, emblazoning nearly every surface of the stadium with rich Nordic details. When the Vikings run out of the tunnel, they appear to be exiting a longship. And who can forget the loud battle horns that sound on third downs for opposing offenses, first downs by the Vikings offense, and on Vikings touchdown plays.
Watt may be onto something with U.S. Bank Stadium. The stadium was ranked as the best venue in the NFL in a 2023 article by Jon Machota of The Athletic.
Vikings defeat Colts on SNF at U.S. Bank Stadium
The Minnesota Vikings got a huge win on Sunday Night Football in front of their home crowd.
Minnesota had a sloppy first half, but rallied to score 21 points in the second half to win 21-13. That sloppy first half included some disastrous turnovers, including one that was returned for a touchdown by the Colts. Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson shrugged off the importance of those plays.
“The turnovers are nothing. Those are just little minor errors that we can fix easily,” Jefferson said per ESPN. “We've just got to protect the ball, just not try to make that big play. Sam is a phenomenal quarterback.”
The Vikings won the game on a touchdown pass from Sam Darnold to tight end Josh Oliver with 2:05 left in the game.
“That's not how you draw it up, for sure, but we've battled through adversity throughout this year and we do it in games as well,” Darnold said. “We've got a really resilient group.”
Next up for the Vikings is a Week 10 matchup against the Jaguars.