The Vikings Now Know Their Playoff Future
The mystery? Whether the Minnesota Vikings knock off the Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football, the final game of the NFL’s Wildcard docket.
Vikings Playoffs: The Next Would-Be Opponent Is Known
The solved mystery? The purple team’s would-be opponent. The winner of Rams-Vikings will travel to Philadelphia next Sunday to take on the Eagles. There is no reversing it; the next opponent is etched in stone.
The Eagles defeated the Green Bay Packers on Sunday afternoon, capping a hot-and-cold season for Green Bay. Jordan Love and friends accounted for three 1st-Half turnovers in the Wildcard Round, kept the game close nevertheless, and eventually lost at Lincoln Financial Field. A Packers win would’ve made the Vikings’ postseason path a bit easier, at least on paper. For example, if Minnesota beats Los Angeles, but the Packers had upset the Eagles, the Washington Commanders would’ve traveled to Minnesota for the Divisional Round.
But no cigar. The Packers could not help the Vikings out. Go figure.
So, although Minnesota has a tall task head on Monday night — beating the Rams is no joke — it will travel to Philadelphia if triumphant. It’s also worth noting that the Vikings have never toppled the Eagles in the playoffs, losing in 1980, 2004, 2008, and 2017.
On the other side of the bracket, the Lions will host the Commanders, hoping to capitalize on homefield advantage that they commandingly stole from Minnesota in Week 18. Washington upset Tampa Bay on the road over the weekend, and that club, led by phenom rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, will try to keep up the hot streak and storybook season at a raucous Ford Field. Detroit is an early 8.5-point favorite.
Meanwhile, as if they needed any motivation, Vikings fans will morph into intense Commanders fans next Saturday night. Why? Well, a Vikings win over the Rams on Monday night, plus an eventual dub at Philadelphia, would enable Minnesota to host the NFC Championship if Washington upset Detroit. That’s the only favorable postseason adventure left, assuming the beholder doesn’t fancy playing at Detroit for a hypothetical NFC title game.
The Lions feel like a buzzsaw, but Washington has become fairly balanced offensively and defensively over the last month. That — and Daniels does not play like a rookie in any way, shape, or form. On every snap, the guy looks like he’s been in the NFL for seven years.
First, of course, Minnesota must defeat Los Angeles. Then, beyond the shadow of a doubt, Philadelphia awaits the victor of Monday Night Football.
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.
You must be logged in to post a comment.