The Minnesota Vikings haven't had a home blackout since 1997, and according to the Pioneer Press' Charley Walters, fans won't have to worry about missing this weekend's opener with Jacksonville on local television either.
Despite early concerns about a lack of ticket sales, Walters reports that the threshold of roughly 57,600 tickets will be met in time to avoid the blackout taking effect. After a new NFL rule was passed this offseason to lessen the chance of blackouts happening by permitting teams to reduce capacity numbers all the way down to 85 percent, the Vikings quickly made the decision to adjust their limit to 90 percent of their estimated 64,000 capacity.
And based on the outlook for Sunday, Minnesota's decision to take advantage of the new rule looks like a wise one. The Jacksonville Jaguars are hardly the most marketable opponent on the schedule, especially during a rebuilding year. Thankfully for fans though, it doesn't appear the Vikings' blackout streak will be in jeopardy with the team only needing to reach 90 percent capacity in order to keep games on television.
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