It's all set up well for 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy to buckle in and smash the gas after the quarterback missed his rookie year with a knee injury.
Actually finding and accessing Vikings games is more cumbersome than ever, though. In addition to the usual channel rotation of CBS, Fox, NBC, ABC/ESPN and NFL Network, this season's streaming rights also extend to Amazon Prime, Netflix, Peacock and YouTube. It can get exhausting (and annoying) to keep up with all these changes, so we've compiled a league-wide overview of how the current broadcast carousel works. All of the info below is formatted specifically for the Vikings' 2025 schedule (pre-flexes, which start as early as Week 5 this year).
The first thing we'll need to watch all 17 regular-season Vikings games is a television package. Here are the most popular options, contingent on local availability, with pricing as of September 2025:
- Average monthly cost: $85-100. Depending on the carrier, this will cover all NFL action except for out-of-market games, "Thursday Night Football" on Prime and the Christmas slate on Netflix.
Our dueling homes for the busiest part of the weekly schedule. A majority of Vikings games will fall into the Sunday afternoon bulk, starting at either 1 or 4-4:30 p.m. This year, eight of the Vikings' nine Sunday afternoon kickoffs are set for that earlier time slot. The exception comes when Minnesota travels to Seattle on Nov. 30.
For the most part, CBS has the AFC home games and Fox has the NFC ones. That's not absolute, though (blame the networks' "cross flex," which Brian Flores would probably deploy in some complicated blitz package). In general, these over-the-air channels show games pertinent to the region.
Both networks have broadcast teams to spread around the league on Sundays. Here's a refresher on those lead crews:
CBS -- "Hello Friends" Team
- Jim Nantz and Tony Romo / Tracy Wolfson sideline
- Ian Eagle and JJ Watt / Evan Washburn
- Kevin Harlan and Trent Green / Melanie Collins
- Andrew Catalon, Charles Davis and Jason McCourty / AJ Ross
- Spero Dedes and Adam Archuleta / Aditi Kinkhabwala
Fox -- "Dancing Robots" Team
- Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady / Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi sideline
- Joe Davis and Greg Olsen / Pam Oliver
- Adam Amin and Mark Sanchez / Kristina Pink
- Kenny Albert and Jonathan Vilma / Megan Olivi
- Kevin Kugler and Daryl Johnston / Allison Williams
- Chris Myers and Mark Schlereth / Jen Hale
What you'll need to watch: One of the aforementioned cable or streaming packages, or a broadcast antenna for free over-the-air access. Local CBS games can also be streamed on Paramount+ (starting at $7.99/month). Local Fox games can also be streamed on Fox One (starting at $19.99/month).
Whether you're shouting "skol" from far away or just partial to purple, all out-of-market Vikings fans will need NFL Sunday Ticket to unlock the Sunday game listed above. For an extra fee, you can get NFL RedZone, the frenetic live whip-around anchored by Scott Hanson. That man is peerless in his love for American football.
What you'll need to watch: YouTube is the current digital home provider of NFL Sunday Ticket (DirecTV carries it for businesses). New Sunday Ticket users can subscribe for $276/year, which comes out to $23/month. Returning users with YouTube TV are charged $378, or $31.50/month; those without YouTube TV pay $480 ($40/month). These are prices without RedZone.
Additionally, the league's NFL+ Premium app has standalone RedZone access for 12 installments of $14.99. Full out-of-market games can't be streamed live here, though, making it a better option for fantasy players rather than dedicated team loyalists.
The Athletic's Andrew Marchand reported that ESPN recently sold 10 percent of its equity to the NFL in exchange for league media assets (NFL Network, cable RedZone rights and fantasy football games). Now, the new ESPN Unlimited direct-to-consumer (DTC) service is offering a bundle with NFL+ Premium for $39.99/month.
Average monthly cost: $23-40
Sundays always end with "Sunday Night Football," featuring Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth in the booth. Tirico is the successor to longtime SNF voice Al Michaels. Collinsworth, well ... "here's a guy" who gets really excited about nickel corners and pass-blocking running backs. Melissa Stark is NBC's Sunday night sideline reporter.
As we get into the later weeks, NBC will flex into matchups with greater playoff implications. The same goes for ABC/ESPN (Mondays) and Prime Video (Thursdays). Network flexing is a contentious issue, though. Putting a more compelling game on national TV rewards viewers at home, but sudden schedule changes obviously hurt traveling fans. For SNF in Weeks 5-13, a flex must be announced at least 12 days before the game. That window halves to a six-day warning in Weeks 14-17.
What you'll need to watch: A TV package, or a broadcast antenna for free over-the-air access, or a Peacock account (sports subscription with ads starts at $10.99 per month).
Here's where you'll find end-of-week pageantry with Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and the inescapable theme music. Industry vet Lisa Salters dispatches from the sideline along with Laura Rutledge. When there are multiple Monday night listings, Chris Fowler does play-by-play on the doubleheader's other game with former safety Louis Riddick and former quarterback Dan Orlovsky on color commentary. Katie George and Peter Schrager cover the sidelines with that group. The MNF crew for ESPN Deportes includes play-by-play woman Rebeca Landa and analyst Sebastian Martinez-Christensen with sideline reports from MJ Acosta-Ruiz and the incomparable John Sutcliffe.
There is usually a simulcast on ESPN2 anchored by Peyton and Eli Manning, and there will be this season when Minnesota appears on MNF. Sometimes, the Super Bowl-winning brothers offer unique vantage points on late-game situations. We get shenanigans in equal measure because what else is this format for? The "ManningCast" is where Kirk Cousins, when he was still on the Vikings, showed off his Kohl's Cash chain.
This marks year No. 4 of TNF on Amazon. Al Michaels does play-by-play, and he's joined by Kirk Herbstreit ("College GameDay" staple and Golden Retriever enthusiast). Kaylee Hartung handles sideline reporting. Thursday games are on the Prime Video app for national audiences, and broadcasts are free over the air in the two teams' home markets. Alternatively, TNF can be streamed on Twitch or with an NFL+ subscription (mobile only, however).
Last year's ill-fated first TNF flex did not lead to new safeguards; rather, the league reduced the notice window from 28 days down to 21. Again, those flexes favor folks at home who want exciting and relevant late-season viewing, but it brings chaos to ticket holders and the participating teams themselves.
What you'll need to watch: Amazon Prime, which costs $14.99 per month; NFL+ ($6.99/month); or a registered Twitch account.
Average monthly cost: $0-15
In addition to Brazil, football's world tour hits Ireland, England, Germany and Spain this year. Other than the Brazil game on YouTube, the rest of the international slate can be found on NFL Network and kicks off Sundays at 9:30 a.m.
Overseas fans are restricted from much of the regular season flow, sadly. NFL Game Pass on DAZN is the solution for the growing number of American football fans in international markets (pricing by country can be found here). The Athletic's Matt Slater also recently reported that Channel 5 is picking up a few free-to-air Sunday kickoffs for U.K. followers.
The Vikings made the international schedule once again. Last year, they got Aaron Rodgers for a pick-six in Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where they'll return this season.
The week prior, they'll take part in the NFL's first-ever game in Dublin at Croke Park. Fox loaned out its No. 2 crew -- Joe Davis, Greg Olsen and Pam Oliver -- who will join Jamie Erdahl to call the action for that one.
What you'll need to watch: A TV package with NFL Network; or the basic NFL+ plan (standalone or with ESPN Unlimited).
We were all but out of dodge ... until one last streaming service stood before us. The NFL has now built out a Christmas slate because the appetite for more football is never-ending. Minnesota’s Christmas game is a Netflix exclusive too. ‘Tis the season:
What you'll need to watch: A Netflix subscription ($7.99/month with ads). The game will also be free over the air in the local markets.
The one unknown is Minnesota’s regular-season finale, a home game against the rival Green Bay Packers that could have a lot of weight around it. The entirety of the Week 18 schedule will be announced after Week 17 is in the books. We at least know it won’t be a Thursday or Monday game, though Week 18 does have some Saturday slots reserved for matchups with playoff gravity.
And there we have it. That’s where the schedule stands, at least until flexing begins.