Vikings Fans to Become Loud SEA Supporters on Saturday
Dustin Baker
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The Minnesota Vikings lost to the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field in Week 18, and that game alone locked Minnesota into the NFC’s No. 3 playoff seed when it was all said and done.
The Vikings will host a playoff game at U.S. Bank Stadium this Sunday at 3:30 pm CST versus the New York Giants but will need help if the franchise is to play any more games in Minneapolis thereafter.
Insert the Seattle Seahawks.
Led by Pete Carroll, who’s coached the Seahawks since 2010, Seattle travels to Santa Clara for a date with the 49ers on Saturday. Seattle is the No. 7 seed and strutted into the postseason thanks to the Detroit Lions win over the Packers on Sunday Night Football in Week 18.
Vikings Fans to Become Loud SEA Supporters on Saturday
And here’s the deal: If the Seahawks upset the 49ers, the Vikings will host another playoff game at U.S. Bank Stadium next weekend during the Divisional Round — no matter what (assuming the Vikings defeat the Giants). Should the 49ers win, the Vikings will travel west to Levi’s Stadium on Divisional weekend — no matter what.
Therefore, because the 49ers-Seahawks game shakes down on Saturday, the day before Vikings-Giants, the Vikings and their fans will know before Minnesota’s game starts where the next matchup will occur. NFL scheduling was kind to Kevin O’Connell’s club.
But before you, the fan, get totally pumped about the Seahawks, know that they’re underdogs to upset San Francisco. The 49ers are favored by 10 to down the Seahawks, the second-most lopsided point spread of the week after Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills (-10.5).
Still, Carroll is 18-9 (.667) against the 49ers in his career as head coach of the Seahawks. He’s dominated various iterations of San Francisco teams but has lost twice in 2022 to the Kyle Shanahan version. On the whole, he knows how to squash the 49ers but who knows if the current 49ers brand is just too hot to handle.
There’s also the small matter of beating a team thrice in a single season. Throughout NFL history, teams approaching a three-game sweep in a single season have a decent record accomplishing the feat, but it isn’t an exact science. Plus, the 49ers and Seahawks are natural division rivals.
Overall, here’s the talker. If the Seahawks shock the 49ers Saturday, the Vikings will host the winner of Dallas Cowboys at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (if Minnesota beats New York). A 49ers win would send the Vikings to Santa Clara.
The Vikings are three-point favorites to take down the Giants on Sunday. Minnesota hasn’t beaten New York in the postseason since 1997.
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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