The Buffalo Bills have a tough 2026 schedule and part of it is them having to take on arguably the toughest division in football; the NFC North. You could make the case that the NFC North, along with the NFC West are the two toughest divisions in football. The Bills will be face the Los Angeles Rams from the west, and then have to take on all four teams in the north.
Last season, the Minnesota Vikings were one of the teams that didn’t make the playoffs but yet they still had a winning record. The biggest reason why they didn’t make the playoffs was because of the inconsistency at quarterback that was headlined by J.J. McCarthy.
Now with the Vikings bringing in Kyler Murray for competition, one would expect Minnesota to be truly fighting for a playoff spot with all of their other talent that they have.
With training camp coming up here soon, we had the chance to talk with Adam Patrick, who serves as the Site Expert for The Viking Age, and Patrick managed to provide Vikings insight for Bills fans before these two teams clash in the middle of the season.
1.) The most notable move that the Minnesota Vikings made this past offseason was the acquisition of QB Kyler Murray. However, is there is another addition that the Vikings made that isn't getting talked about a lot?
"Minnesota's addition of former San Francisco 49ers receiver Jauan Jennings this offseason is certainly one that shouldn't go unnoticed. The dude had 132 catches and 15 touchdowns in the last two seasons, and he's joining the Vikings as their WR3 behind Jordan Addison and Justin Jefferson. Minnesota could definitely have one of the best wide receiver trios in the entire NFL by the end of the 2026 season."
2.) What remains as a big weakness for the Vikings heading into training camp?
"Generating explosive plays from running the ball is something that the Vikings have struggled with ever since Dalvin Cook was let go in 2023. As a whole last season, Minnesota only generated a total of 14 run plays that resulted in gains of 15 yards or more, according to PFF. To put that in perspective, Bills running back James Cook had 17 carries of 15 yards or more last season, all on his own."
3.) If you had to pick one player on offense outside of Justin Jefferson who Bills fans should be worried about, who is it and why?
"With a possible contract extension on the line, it feels like Jordan Addison could be heading into a breakout season with the Vikings. Addison has already been productive during his Minnesota career (175 catches, 2,396 yards, 24 touchdowns), but he hasn't been able to take his game to an elite level yet."
"All of Buffalo's attention will be on Justin Jefferson when the two teams face off in November, but Addison is definitely someone the Bills need to game plan for as well."
4.) What is your overall sense on the Kyler Murray/J.J, McCarthy battle? Do you believe there is a world where McCarthy could very well be on his way out if Murray beats him for the QB1 job?
"There have been some rumblings that the Vikings could look to move on from McCarthy before the start of the season if he doesn't win the QB1 battle, but no concrete reports have indicated that it's a legit possibility yet."
"While keeping McCarthy around as QB2 would seem like the best choice for Minnesota to make for the 23-year-old passer, they also brought back Carson Wentz this offseason. So, maybe the plan has always been to move on from whichever quarterback didn't win the starting job and roll into Week 1 with Wentz as QB2."
5.) If you had to take a very early guess, what do you think the score prediction will be for Bills vs Vikings this season?
"The Bills are easily one of Minnesota's toughest matchups on their 2026 schedule. But under Kevin O'Connell, the Vikings have been successful against AFC teams in primetime matchups that have taken place on their home field (2-0 since 2022)."
"Quarterback performance will obviously be a factor for Minnesota in this contest, but I think Brian Flores' unique defense could cause some problems for Josh Allen, and that will be enough to help the Vikings sneak away with a 24-20 win."
Add us as a preferred source on Google