Vikings Add Some Sizzle to First Home Playoff Game in 5 Years
Dustin Baker
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The New York Giants travel to U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday for their first taste of playoff football in six years. They’ll take on the Minnesota Vikings, who haven’t hosted a postseason game since 2017 when Case Keenum and Stefon Diggs walked off the New Orleans Saints in a thriller.
Between the start and end of the game, the Vikings added some sizzle to the entertainment card, announcing that rapper Ludacris would perform at halftime.
Ludacris, an unabashed Atlanta Falcons fan, doesn’t have any clear ties to the Vikings or Giants but will indeed fill the halftime menu at U.S. Bank Stadium. He’s proudly Atlanta-based and was born in Illinois.
Vikings Add Some Sizzle to First Home Playoff Game in 5 Years
The 45-year-old arrived on the music scene around 1999 and hasn’t left since. He’s accountable for four No. 1 Billboard hits, two of his own in Stand Up (2003) and Money Maker (2006), while featured on two other No. 1 songs, Yeah! (2004) and Break Your Heart (2010).
Ludacris has won 10 BET Awards, 3 Grammys, 1 MTV Video Music award, and Screen Actors Guild ‘Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture’ for his role in the 2003 film Crash. His top album per sales was released in 2003, Chicken N Beer, which hit No. 44 on Billboard’s Top Album chart and remained for seven weeks. That album also featured hits Blow It Out, Splash Waterfalls, Diamond in the Back, P-Poppin, and the aforementioned Stand Up. He’s an actor, too, cast in over 20 films, gaining notoriety in the longstanding Fast and Furious movie franchise.
As for the playoff game, it’s a rematch from three weeks ago. The Vikings outdueled the Giants on Christmas Eve, walking off New York thanks to a 61-yard field goal from kicker Greg Joseph, a record for the longest kick in team history. The Giants secondary was undermanned, minus starting cornerback Adoree’ Jackson and safety Xavier McKinney. Both defenders are tentatively trending to play Sunday.
Meanwhile, the Vikings are hoping to welcome back center Garrett Bradbury, who has missed five straight games due to a back injury. Bradbury participated fully in practice Thursday, but back maladies are tricky and could re-flare up at any time. He’s a true maybe for the Wildcard Round, and veteran Chris Reed would start in his spot if he’s a no-go.
Both defenses are suspect, and each team adores close games. The Vikings won 11 games by one score or less in 2022 — an NFL record — while the Giants won seven such games. Minnesota is favored by three, so oddsmakers evidently believe it’ll go down to the wire.
The matchup also marks the first playoff appearance for Justin Jefferson, Christian Darrisaw, Daniel Jones, Saquon Barkley, etc.
The Giants haven’t beaten the Vikings since 2013, losing four straight to their NFC foe.
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,’ and The Doors (the band).
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