2 Possible Playoff Opponents Emerge for Vikings
Barring a collapse that might actually be worse than the 2003 or 2016 Minnesota Vikings, the purple team will dance in the postseason this January.
2 Possible Playoff Opponents Emerge for Vikings
The club has an 8-2 record through 11 weeks, showcasing glorious playoff math and possessing a 94.8% chance of reaching the playoff tournament, according to DVOA.
In fact, if the Vikings don’t reach the postseason — at least the Wildcard Round — it will have meant they finished 0-7 or 1-6 in the season’s final seven games. That just doesn’t feel likely as of November 19th.
So, yes, it is fair to start envisioning playoff opponents for Minnesota, and these two have emerged as probable foes in January.
Atlanta Falcons
It’s worth noting out of the gate that all Vikings would-be playoff opponents, at least right now, will be road games. Minnesota may or may not have the juice to surpass the Detroit Lions in the NFC North, an organization that feels like it’s on a one-lane highway to the Super Bowl.
That said, if the postseason began tonight, the Vikings would travel to Atlanta for a date with Kirk Cousins and his Falcons. Atlanta began the season with an easy schedule — and will end the season’s remainder with a relatively easy docket. It’s just the way the cookie crumbled in 2024.
In the Falcons, Minnesota would get a crack at a “revenge game,” playing against Cousins, who said “no thanks” to the Vikings in 2024 free agency. He chased the largest possible paycheck last March, and his team currently leads the NFC South with a 6-5 record.
The Falcons also play the purple team in 2.5 weeks at U.S. Bank Stadium, a potential Wildcard teaser trailer.
Arizona Cardinals
If it’s not the Falcons, Minnesota could head to Glendale in mid-January.
The San Francisco 49ers surprisingly lost to the Seattle Seahawks last weekend, dropping a glowing opportunity to keep pace with the upstart and hungry Cardinals. When it’s all said and done, folks might look back and realize that 2024 was a weird down year for San Francisco.
From its ashes, Jonathan Gannon, Kyler Murray, and the Cardinals have twisted to the surface. Arizona’s defense isn’t great — it ranks 25th per defensive DVOA — but the offense is rather potent.
The cool part about a Falcons or Cardinals draw? Few Vikings fans would shudder at either matchup, and oddsmakers might even favor the Vikings. Minnesota is that balanced through 10 games.
In mid-November, the Falcons and Cardinals represent Minnesota’s most likely Round 1 playoff matchup. Naturally, keep an eye on the Buccaneers and 49ers to catch either team from behind. Kind of like the Vikings and Packers.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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