Dec 8, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison (3) celebrates his catch against the Atlanta Falcons during the fourth quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images.
The Minnesota Vikings own an 11-2 record entering Week 15 and can clinch a postseason trip with a win over the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football or a loss by the Seattle Seahawks to the Green Bay Packers.
Super Bowl visions are still very much up for grabs in Minnesota, and some Vikings fans still hold out hope for homefield advantage in the postseason.
Here’s how that can happen.
The tiebreak math for Minnesota is tricky if the Eagles and Vikings finish with the same record, Therefore, it’s easiest for Phildaldphia to lose two of its final four games.
These are the Eagles’ opponents down the stretch of the season:
This is a fancy way of saying that the Eagles must lose their next two games. Of course, it won’t be tough for Vikings fans to cheer against Philadelphia.
Minnesota needs Detroit to lose a game — this weekend against the Buffalo Bills or in two weeks at the San Francisco 49ers — while winning the rest of its own games.
Otherwise, Kevin O’Connell’s club would have room to lose a game if Detroit lost both matchups to the Bills and 49ers. We’re simply conceding the fact that Detroit will beat the Chicago Bears in Week 16.
Enter Week 18 with the same record as Detroit and beat them at Ford Field.
For context, here’s the Lions’ remaining schedule:
The final installment is as straightforward as it gets: beat Detroit in Week 18 for a division title and probably earn homefield advantage throughout the postseason.
Minnesota hasn’t toppled Detroit since Kevin O’Connell’s first matchup with the Lions in 2022, losing four straight contests to Dan Campbell and friends.
In the utopian scenario, Week 18 could be for all the marbles of the NFC North and homefield advantage.
Week 18 would feel like a playoff game, rest assured.
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.