Vikings Fans Become Rowdy Seahawks Fans on Thursday Night
Vikings Fans Become Rowdy Seahawks Fans on Thursday Night
The footsteps you, the Minnesota Vikings fan, hear are those belonging to the San Francisco 49ers and their suddenly-hot modus operandi following the Christian McCaffrey trade.
That’s right. San Francisco has won six consecutive games after a greasy 3-4 start to the 2022 regular season. On top of everyone’s “nobody wants to play this team” status, the 49ers are one game behind the Vikings for the NFC’s No. 2 seed. And if they achieve the same record as Minnesota this weekend, San Francisco will own the temporary playoff-seeding tiebreaker.
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The Vikings loss in Detroit was demoralizing enough, but it also opened the door for the 49ers to seize the second seed in the NFC. They could hypothetically do so within a matter of days, and that’s why Vikings fans become Seahawks fans during Thursday Night Football.
Vikings Fans Become Rowdy Seahawks Fans on Thursday Night
Ironically, though, this cheer-for-Seattle stuff only applies for a night, as the Vikings could end up hosting the Seahawks in the Wildcard Round of the postseason. As San Francisco has ascended, Seattle has dipped, losing three of its last four games and, subsequently, the grip on the NFC West. So, to be clear, your newfound Seahawks fandom is only good for three hours on Thursday.
Here is the NFC’s state of play through 14 weeks:
If the Vikings lose and fall to 10-4 while the 49ers win and jump to 10-4 — well, boom — there goes the No. 2 seed. The 49ers would lay claim to the spot by late afternoon on Saturday. Thankfully for the Vikings sake, the Indianapolis Colts are on the menu, and a home bout with that AFC foe shouldn’t be too daunting, in theory.
Regardless, a hypothetical 49ers loss on the road Thursday creates breathing room for the Vikings — that same purple team allowing 400+ to every opponent for a month with a 2-2 record to show for it. The best thing that can happen to the Vikings on Thursday night is that CONF part of the ESPN standings to read ‘7-3’ under the 49ers section on Friday morning. It would even out the Vikings first-tiebreaker scenario and manufacture some slack.
Otherwise, the Vikings can disregard the outcome of every 49ers game from here on out and continue to win. If Minnesota does that, great. The Vikings have the proverbial “control your own destiny” adage on their side. However, as soon as Minnesota loses a game, the 49ers can reasonably grab the No. 2 seed.
One might say, “Who cares if the Vikings get the No. 3 seed?” Well, that’s fine and dandy if you trust the Vikings on the road in the Divisional Round of the postseason. That’s what’s at stake. Should the Vikings win their first playoff game at U.S. Bank Stadium, disallowing the 49ers the No. 2 seed means the Vikings second playoff game would go through U.S. Bank Stadium.
A three-seeded Vikings team would probably hit the road for Round 2 of the playoffs, likely to the city of Santa Clara to play the — you guessed it — 49ers.
Do you prefer the Vikings play at home or on the road if they reach Round 2 of the postseason? If your answer is home, then you cheer for the Seahawks on Thursday.
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Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
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