And Just Like That, the Vikings Hold the No. 7 Seed in the NFC
A few weeks ago, you would’ve been hard-pressed to find a Vikings fan with the same kind of hope for this season as they had last year.
Minnesota got off to a 1-4 start, were near the bottom of the NFC standings, and had road games against divisional opponents sandwiching a Monday Night Football matchup against the San Francisco 49ers.
Then, they rattled off two straight wins, beating both the Bears and 49ers, and suddenly, the Vikings hold the No. 7 seed in the NFC.
The Vikings Hold the No. 7 Seed in the NFC
It officially came to be last night when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fell to the Buffalo Bills on Thursday night by a score of 24-18. This dropped them to a 3-4 record, and while they have a head-to-head tiebreaker over Minnesota, there are currently a whopping five teams in the conference with the same record:
- Minnesota Vikings
- Los Angeles Rams
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Washington Commanders
- New Orleans Saints
Minnesota’s 3-2 record in the NFC gives them the tiebreaker over the other four teams, thus suddenly vaulting them all the way into the playoff picture. If the season ended today, they would play against the No. 2 seeded Detroit Lions at Ford Field.
This does not mean the Vikings can take their foot off the gas, though. They have a very important stretch coming up against teams in the conference around the same record as them. It begins this weekend as they take on the 2-4 Green Bay Packers, who are also trying to fight their way back into the playoff picture after a three-game losing streak.
After that, they take on the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints. Atlanta leads the NFC South at 4-3 while New Orleans also sits at 3-4, but their 1-2 record against NFC opponents puts Minnesota well above them in the tiebreaking procedure.
If the Vikings rattle off three-straight wins against these opponents, they’ll vault up to 6-4 on the season and potentially put themselves back in the divisional race as well. The current leader, Detroit, play the Raiders on Monday before going on their bye in Week 9, and they then travel to Los Angeles to play the Chargers.
Regardless, this stretch of success has rejuvenated hope in the Vikings fanbase, and rightfully so. They are playing their best football of the season right now, and they have a great opportunity in front of them. Hopefully, they are able to answer the call and firmly place themselves among the conference leaders heading into the second half of the season.
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Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.
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