These 15 Former Vikings Are in the Playoffs This Weekend
Dustin Baker
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The NFL’s Divisional Round postseason slate kicks off Saturday with eight teams in action. Ultimately per oddsmakers, the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers are favored to meet in the Super Bowl.
But four games this weekend and two games next must occur before that prediction is effectuated, and several former Minnesota Vikings players will be in the mix on Saturday and Sunday.
These 15 Former Vikings Are in the Playoffs This Weekend
Sorted by team in the order of the NFL’s schedule, these are those 15 players. Men on injured reserve, like Jerick McKinnon of the Kansas City Chiefs, were excluded.
Houston Texans
The Former Vikings:
Kris Boyd (CB)
Case Keenum (QB)
Keenum is the claim to fame here, and if something happened injury-wise to quarterback C.J. Stroud, Keenum would be the next man up.
Boyd became a Texan a few weeks ago and plays special teams.
Baltimore Ravens
The Former Vikings:
Dan Chisena (WR, Practice Squad)
Dalvin Cook (RB)
Michael Pierce (DT)
Laquon Treadwell (WR, Practice Squad)
Dalvin Cook signed on the Ravens’ dotted line two weeks ago, hoping to seize a Super Bowl ring after a miserable relationship inside the New York Jets’ offense. He should receive some touches this weekend.
Pierce actually signed a contract extension in Baltimore earlier this month and is a significant contributor to the Ravens’ stellar defense. Chisena and Treadwell are unlikely to play but live on the practice squad.
Green Bay Packers
The Former Vikings:
Eric Wilson (LB)
Wilson has played 121 defensive snaps in 2023, with 308 appearances on special teams. This is his second campaign in Green Bay, and he will be on the field at the 49ers, mainly on special teams.
San Francisco 49ers
The Former Vikings:
Jesse Davis (OL, Practice Squad)
T.Y. McGill (DT, Practice Squad)
Davis spent a few months on the 2022 Vikings’ roster before a trade to the Pittsburgh Steelers, although he never played a regular season game in Minnesota. McGill was a preseason hero in 2022 but was cut during roster trimdowns.
It’s a longshot for either man to get promoted for the gameday roster versus the Packers.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Former Vikings:
Chase McLaughlin (K)
This man has fired up a wonderful season in Tampa Bay, connecting on 29 of 31 field goals. Before that, he was a Vikings transaction God:
Detroit Lions
The Former Vikings:
Teddy Bridgewater (QB)
Whenever the Lions’ season ends, that will be Bridgewater’s final game. The former Viking announced his impending retirement in December, so the end is nigh.
If anything happens to Jared Goff on Sunday, Bridgewater would waltz into the lineup and try to lead the Lions to the NFC Championship. They haven’t reached one of those since 1992, and that was the only one in franchise history.
7. Kansas City Chiefs
The Former Vikings:
Blake Bell (TE)
This is the Chiefs’ TE3 behind Travis Kelce and Noah Gray. He spent one year with the Vikings in 2017 and has caught 5 passes this season for 26 yards and a paydirt.
8. Buffalo Bills
The Former Vikings:
Stefon Diggs (WR)
Linval Joseph (DT)
Latavius Murray (RB)
Diggs played in Minnesota from 2015 to 2019, orchestrating The Minneapolis Miracle in 2017 before forcing his way out via trade in 2020. Joseph won a Super Bowl with the 2011 New York Giants, signed with the Vikings a few years later — he was tremendous in purple for six seasons — and is winding his career down in Buffalo.
Murray might also snag a few rushing attempts against the Chiefs, probably near the goal line. He spent the 2017 and 2018 seasons with the Vikings.
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.
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