Vikings Fans Prepare For Unusual Season Opener Against Packers

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MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – The Minnesota Vikings are getting ready to take on the Green Bay Packers in a very unusual border battle.

U.S. Bank Stadium was quiet on Sunday morning ahead of the game, as COVID-19 guidelines restrict fans from going inside the stadium or tailgating outside.

But one family came to the stadium for a home opener tradition. Every year, at the start of the new season, the Aldrich father and son duo come find their legacy brick outside of the stadium. The brick has their family’s name on it and says “This is the year.”

“It seems like a ghost town down here,” said John Aldrich. “But we’re still going to root for the Vikings and be happy about it.”

They still think this is the year for the Vikings to go all the way, though they know that it’ll be one unlike any other.

“It’s kind of eerie,” said his son Matt Aldrich. “Definitely not normal. It’s not something you want to get used to.”

Before kickoff, the Vikings will recognize the family of George Floyd, with players wearing ‘Be the Change’ t-shirts that have the names of lives lost to police brutality on the back. There will also be a performance of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” which is often referred to as the Black national anthem.