There’s nothing normal about the Vikings’ remaining schedule, and it just got another wrinkle: The league announced Thursday that the team’s Week 15 game at Cincinnati will be played on Saturday of that weekend, Dec. 16, at noon.
The Vikings have a history of playing some interesting games on Saturdays, including two last season — one that featured the NFL’s largest-ever comeback vs. the Colts.
The 6-6 Vikings are on a Week 13 bye this weekend and play their first regular-season game in Las Vegas the following Sunday at 3:05 p.m. Week 15 at the Bengals is now on a Saturday, followed by: a Christmas Eve game (noon vs. Lions), a New Year’s Eve game (vs. Packers on “Sunday Night Football”) and a finale at Detroit that is still unscheduled.
Some more numbers to know:
* The Vikings are 20-10 all-time in Saturday games.
* The Vikings-Bengals all-time series is tied at 7-7.
* The Bengals have never won in Minnesota, but the Vikings are just 1-7 when playing in Cincinnati.
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Over the years, we’ve seen the Harbaugh brothers, the Kelce brothers, and many other impressive sibling duos in the NFL. Now, the Taylor brothers are getting set to take center stage as Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor goes up against Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator — and brother — Press Taylor. The two brothers will face each other during primetime on Monday Night Football.
Though this game was originally slated to be a duel between two No. 1 overall picks and playoff contenders, the injury to Bengals QB Joe Burrow could shift the game narrative to focus more on the Taylor brothers, who are both succeeding at the NFL level.
Ahead of the game, Zac spoke on the similarities and differences the two share. “Our voices sound the same. We write the same. Some people would say we look the same. We’re very similar in how we operate and coach,” Zac Taylor said. “One difference: Press is very organized and detailed. I often move from one task to the other without getting off track,” via NFL.com reporter Cameron Wolfe.
Meanwhile, Press Taylor shared his admiration for his older brother as he continues to climb the coaching ladder.
“Zac is a role model that has done everything I wanted to do, and he did it the right way. If my brother hadn’t been a coach, I don’t know if I’d be a coach right now,” Press said. “I was always a tag-along, annoying little brother growing u
p, then our friendship really grew. He’s a mentor to me. He’s the person I go to for advice. In terms of coaching, we are peers who bounce ideas off each other. But outside of my wife, he’s my best friend.”
While the brothers remain close, they will be forced to turn into rivals Monday Night with a much-needed win on the line.
