“It better work for you, Kyler. Because if not, go play baseball where you were drafted.”

Rex Ryan on #Vikings QB Kyler Murray pic.twitter.com/73LnMQekzH

— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) September 13, 2026

People say not to overreact to week 1. Even better, don't react at all.

A final, final thought outside U.S. Bank Stadium. pic.twitter.com/wXAkmrXrXm

— Kevin Seifert (@SeifertESPN) September 13, 2026

It's Vikings gameday! I cannot wait for this one.

Some matchups I'll be watching, in addition to the obvious QB vs. DC angles:

Dallas Turner vs. Jordan Morgan
I'd imagine Turner will spend most of his time at the ROLB position. Morgan has been dealing with a minor knee injury…

— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) September 13, 2026

It's Vikings gameday! I cannot wait for this one.

Some matchups I'll be watching, in addition to the obvious QB vs. DC angles:

Dallas Turner vs. Jordan Morgan
I'd imagine Turner will spend most of his time at the ROLB position. Morgan has been dealing with a minor knee injury recently and will be making just his second NFL appearance at left tackle (Week 18 last year at MIN). Turner had a great camp.

Vikings' IOL vs. Packers IDL
If you're the Vikings, you feel pretty good about Darrisaw and O'Neill against the Packers' collection of non-Micah edge rushers. The area of concern is Jackson, Brandel, and Fries going against Devonte Wyatt, Karl Brooks, and Javon Hargrave. Wyatt, in particular, is dangerous.

Jefferson/Addison vs. Nixon/Cisse
If the Packers struggle to get much pressure on Kyler, they're going to need their corners to hold up. CB1 is Keisean Nixon, a solid player who is a bit undersized. CB2 is second-round rookie Brandon Cisse, making his NFL debut. This is a tough task for them.

Vikings' blitzes vs. Packers RBs
Without Josh Jacobs, Green Bay's RB room is MarShawn Lloyd, Chris Brooks, and Kaleb Johnson. How effective they are in the run game will matter. What will also matter is how they hold up against the Vikings' blitzes, especially from Cashman and Wilson up the middle. Brian Flores will test them.

Prediction: Vikings 27, Packers 17

Ready for the border battle! #KFANVikes #SKOL @papamurphys pic.twitter.com/B16vWrmMZJ

— KFAN1003 (@KFAN1003) September 13, 2026

Vikings Announce Roster Moves Ahead of Packers Showdown

The Minnesota Vikings finally kick off their 2026 regular season today against the Green Bay Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium at 3:25 PM CT.

It’s the beginning of the Kyler Murray era, and if he’s as advertised, there might be some legitimate fireworks in downtown Minneapolis tonight. This will be even more likely if Justin Jefferson enters this 2026 revenge season quickly out of the gate. Brian Flores’ defense should be in full effect, although slow starts aren’t unheard of in his career as a defensive playcaller. In addition, we may also be seeing a revitalized Minnesotan rushing attack with heavy influence from Frank Smith.

Per a report from Will Ragatz of Bring Me The News, Minnesota made some notable additions to the active roster for Sunday’s season opener against the Green Bay Packers.

As Ragatz mentions, Kyle Van Noy should get a good number of reps as a rotational edge rusher. He will provide a solid push on the outside when either Dallas Turner or Andrew Van Ginkel comes out of the game for a play or gets placed in a different position somewhere else on the defense by that psychopath Brian Flores.

RB Deejay Dallas likely won’t get a lot of run at his actual position, but rather play more of a special teams role. In the running game, it’ll most likely be the Jordan Mason and Aaron Jones show, which should be good enough, especially if this rushing attack is truly revitalized under Frank Smith.

Before these moves were made, the Vikings made a couple of other additions to the team. I’m not too sure if you can call the Harrison Smith signing an “addition”, but rather a reunion. Harrison Smith signed his return deal on September 8th, and he will be trotting out onto the field to begin his 15th season.

The Vikings also had another reunion, bringing back Jihan Ward to the practice squad. Ward was a cog in the machine of the magic carpet ride that was Sam Darnold’s revitalization in 2024. He played in all 17 games, starting two, and racked up 10 tackles, a sack, a pass defensed, and a fumble recovery. Young also mentioned that Ward posted a career-high 14 QB hits until he bested that number in 2025 during his tenure with the Tennessee Titans.

Ward will likely be a contributor a little later in the season.

Jim Nantz has Kyler Murray as his Comeback Player of the Year 👀 pic.twitter.com/qhSpXfwkkZ

— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) September 13, 2026

"I wanted them to understand, what could you go accomplish when someone believes in you."

Kevin O'Connell's message to the Vikings this season. pic.twitter.com/RR6gdBiN0e

— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) September 13, 2026

"I'm really excited about Kyler ... I feel a level of confidence."

Kevin O'Connell on his realtionship with QB Kyler Murray pic.twitter.com/cUnqfO2jMB

— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) September 13, 2026

"It comes down to trust ... trust yourself, trust YOU"@DangeRussWilson with advice to Kyler Murray. pic.twitter.com/DygJhGlLDt

— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) September 13, 2026

We are so back.

THE NFL TODAY IS LIVE FROM MINNESOTA FOR WEEK 1

Watch on CBS and Paramount+ pic.twitter.com/MaCA6ZT7Wq

— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) September 13, 2026

Everybody loves the Classic Uniform

Had to get the @NFLonCBS crew looking right today. pic.twitter.com/mx6wOZ7Ctp

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) September 13, 2026

Pretty much dreading how this is gonna go today, but hoping to be pleasantly surprised.

So much for Williams being a rotational guy, lol:

#Vikings Week 1 inactives pic.twitter.com/0rbXGKanRh

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) September 13, 2026

Welcome home, Jauan 👏 pic.twitter.com/4Tx4l55Bqn

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) September 13, 2026

You know what time it is‼️@JJettas2 ✈️✈️ pic.twitter.com/AHfSQxknfZ

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) September 13, 2026

Locked in 🔒 pic.twitter.com/vbaac4GyEc

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) September 13, 2026

.@k1 🔜 pic.twitter.com/t1noVnvUE8

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) September 13, 2026

The Adversary stretching before battle. #Skol pic.twitter.com/Kw4vFG0CT9

— Paul Allen (@PAOnTheMic) September 13, 2026

Jettas getting in the zone pic.twitter.com/bvMYZ600bk

— Jason Harmon (@JasonHarmonNFL) September 13, 2026

Kyler and the wideouts getting ready. pic.twitter.com/JI5sp0wLXl

— Jason Harmon (@JasonHarmonNFL) September 13, 2026