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Lunchbreak: The Athletic Picks 1 Must-Watch Game for Every NFL Team 

Narrowing any list to "one" that cannot be missed is a tough task.

But selecting exactly that out of 17 games on Minnesota's 2026 schedule? C'mon, man! That's unfair to ask of anyone. We're talking about a lineup that includes a business trip across the border to Mexico City for a clash against San Francisco … a Thursday Night Football matchup with reigning AFC Champion New England at a potentially snowy Gillette Stadium in December … a pre-Christmas, prime-time date with Detroit at U.S. Bank Stadium that hopefully is as merry as last year … and a Week 2 jaunt to Soldier Field.

That's just a few of the "ones" we're fired up to watch this season. However, we intentionally left out the one that The Athletic picked as its absolute must-see on the calendar: Week 9 on Monday Night Football.

Minnesota on Nov. 9 will host Buffalo and perennial MVP candidate quarterback Josh Allen. It feels that fireworks are inevitable. Shoot, in the last meeting, Justin Jefferson made arguably the catch of the century; Allen bumbled a snap, backed up at his goal line; and Greg Joseph nailed the winning field goal.

So, yeah, we understand why there's maybe a little more hype around the slate's midpoint.

Here's how Alec Lewis defended his choice for the one "must-watch" Vikings game this season:

Two of the NFL's biggest stars in Jefferson and Allen. A prime-time Monday night matchup at U.S. Bank Stadium, one of the league's best venues for theater. In 2022, the last time Minnesota and Buffalo squared off, the matchup produced one of the most entertaining regular-season games in recent memory. You can already envision Jefferson doing the Griddy out of the tunnel. Allen trying to solve the Rubik's Cube that is this Vikings defense. Minnesota's young defensive tackles (namely rookies Caleb Banks and Domonique "Big Citrus" Orange), working to slow down a Buffalo rushing attack (headed by James Cook) that has consistently been one of the NFL's best. This one has the makings of another classic.