Unbeaten Vikings Visit Buccaneers in NFC Matchup on Fox

Minnesota travels to Tampa Bay looking to stay perfect in a series the Buccaneers have dominated of late.

The Minnesota Vikings travel to Florida this week to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in an interconference matchup. Minnesota enters the game at 2-0, while Tampa Bay is still searching for its first win of the season.

The Buccaneers opened the year with a competitive loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, then fell to the Cleveland Browns the following week. A victory over the unbeaten Vikings would reverse their early-season slide.

Minnesota's offense has been uneven since quarterback Kyler Murray went down with an injury, though he has since returned. The Vikings are also expected to be short-handed at running back, which could put more of the workload on Murray to sustain drives. Defensively, Minnesota leads the NFL in sacks.

The all-time series favors the Vikings, who hold a 33-24 edge and are 14-14 on the road in the matchup. Tampa Bay has gotten the better of things lately, winning eight of the last ten meetings, and Minnesota carries a two-game losing streak in the series.

The clubs first met in 1977, a 9-3 Vikings win in Tampa. Minnesota's largest victory in the series came by a 49-20 score on October 23, 1988, while its heaviest defeat was 41-13 on October 29, 2000.

Their most recent encounter came in Minnesota's 2023 home opener. Justin Jefferson racked up 150 receiving yards and the Vikings outgained Tampa Bay, but three turnovers proved costly in a 20-17 loss.

Turnovers could again be a deciding factor. The Vikings are tied for first in the NFL at plus-3 in turnover differential, while the Buccaneers rank 30th at minus-4. Kenny Albert and Jonathan Vilma will handle the broadcast for Fox in the late-afternoon window.