Sunday night games good for ratings, maybe not for Vikings

The New York Giants’ 31-24 Monday night victory over Miami altered the Vikings’ Week 16 schedule.

Instead of playing at the usual noon slot, the Vikings and Giants were flexed into the Sunday Night Football primetime spot on NBC. The only problem is, the Vikings haven’t shown much muscle in the national spotlight.

The Vikings are 0-4 — at San Francisco, vs. Green Bay, vs. Seattle and at Arizona —  in their biggest TV spots this season. The flops extend way beyond this season, though.

When playing in a Sunday night slot since the games shifted to NBC in 2006, the Vikings are 1-2. The Vikings’ overall “Sunday Night Football” record is 2-8.  They have played 32 games on Sunday night in their history (the first in 1987) and are 15-17 in those games (9-8 at home and 6-9 on the road).

Their last Sunday night victory was actually on a Tuesday night,  24-14 over Philadelphia  on Dec. 28, 2010 after the game was delayed by the threat of a blizzard.

As well, the Vikings have lost their past seven games when nationally televised on NBC, including a 2012 playoff game against the Packers.

Here’s a look at the how the Vikings have fared in the Sunday Night Football spotlight:

2007
Dec. 23: Washington 32, Vikings 21

2008
Nov. 30: Vikings 34, Bears 14

2009
Dec. 6: Arizona 30, Vikings 17
Dec. 20: Carolina 26, Vikings 7

2010
Sept. 9: New Orleans 14, Vikings 9
Oct. 24: Green Bay 28, Vikings 24
Dec. 28: Vikings 24, Philadelphia 14 (game moved to Tuesday)

2011
Oct. 16: Chicago 39, Vikings 10

2012
Jan. 5: Green Bay 24, Vikings 10

2013
Oct. 27: Green Bay 44, Vikings 31

2015
Dec. 27: Vikings vs. New York