Sunday’s Games Worked out Damn Near Perfect for Vikings

Dustin Baker |

Oct 23, 2023

Oct 22, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos safety P.J. Locke (6) intercepts a ball intended for Green Bay Packers wide receiver Samori Toure (83) as safety Justin Simmons (31) defends in the fourth quarter at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL’s Week 7 outcome was nearly tailor-made for the 2-4 Minnesota Vikings.

Sunday’s Games Worked out Damn Near Perfect for Vikings

The club could’ve used an Atlanta Falcons win in Tampa Bay, the only matchup preventing the Vikings from a clean sweep per se, but kicker Younghoe Koo had other plans.

Heading into the week, and if the Vikings shock the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football, the purple team needed these items to transpire to own a temporary seventh seed in the NFC’s evolving playoff picture on Tuesday morning.

Jaguars over Saints
Buccaneers over Falcons
Giants over Commanders
Broncos over Packers
Steelers over Rams

And everything besides the Buccaneers-Falcons matchup broke in the Vikings’ favor, if that can be believed.

Aug 26, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell takes the field before a game against the Arizona Cardinals at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports.

Now, if Minnesota pulls off the upset over San Francisco — Kevin O’Connell’s bunch is a seven-point underdog — it would grab the NFC’s eighth seed, at least for a week. Poll any Vikings fans at the moment about that possibility, and it would almost sound off the wall.

It gets better, too. The Buccaneers own the seventh seed as of October 22nd, and they take on the Buffalo Bills on the road in four days on Thursday Night Football. What does this mean? Well, the Bills embarrassingly lost to the lowly New England Patriots on Sunday, making Josh Allen and friends hungry for a win, especially at home. Should the Vikings defeat the 49ers on MNF, sprinkle in a victory next weekend over the Packers, and the Buccaneers lose on TNF, Minnesota would take the seventh seed on Sunday.

Sep 10, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) hands the ball off to running back Alexander Mattison (2) against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports.

Of course, beating the 49ers on Monday Night Football is no gimme and may not happen at all. Justin Jefferson, Marcus Davenport, and Ezra Cleveland won’t play due to injury, and the 49ers are without Deebo Samuel and probably Trent Williams. But the 49ers haven’t won a game in Minneapolis since 1992 — they’re on a six-game skid in the Twin Cities — and the Vikings are awaiting their first game where everything clicks.

Aug 20, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings linebacker Patrick Jones II (91) and cornerback Akayleb Evans (21) tackle San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings (15) during the first quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports.

It could break that way for Minnesota, and if it does, Minnesota would seemingly control its path next week with a probable Tampa Bay loss at Buffalo.

On the whole, Week 7 was scripted in a lab for the Vikings to turn it around.

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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 Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).

All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.