So, the Minnesota Vikings Officially Clinched a Playoff Spot… Now What?
The Minnesota Vikings have not yet played their week 15 game vs the Chicago Bears. That matchup will happen tonight, on Monday Night Football. But that doesn’t mean Sunday wasn’t productive for the purple.
On Sunday Night Football, the Green Bay Packers defeated the Seattle Seahawks 30-13, a win that didn’t just help the 10-4 Packers’ chances of making the NFL Playoffs, but a win that officially clinched a postseason spot for their division rival Vikings.
Playoff berth clinched ✅https://t.co/EXg2ISGZv9 pic.twitter.com/f6HxfS5qXb
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) December 16, 2024
So, now that our favorite football team is officially in the 2024-25 NFC playoff bracket, what’s next? That’s a great question, because the Minnesota Vikings still have four games remaining on their 2024 schedule (including tonight’s bout vs the Bears). And there is a lot left to be decided, prior to playoff seeds becoming final.
Minnesota Vikings hold their own NFC destiny after clinching 2024 playoff spot
But wait, there is more good news. The Packers weren’t the only NFC North rival to help the Vikings out, over the weekend. So did the Detroit Lions, who dropped to 12-2 on Sunday afternoon, after suffering a 48-42 loss vs MVP favorite Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills.
Now… as long as the Minnesota Vikings win tonight, there will be three 12-2 NFC teams, entering week 16 — the Eagles, Lions and Vikings. The NFL’s tiebreaker scenarios are not easy to understand, but even if the Eagles and Vikings both win out, it is believed Minnesota holds the playoff tiebreaker between the two teams.
That is confirmed by ESPN’s “Playoff Machine”, which places the Vikings as the No. 1 seed in the NFC, should both teams finish 15-2. That means, by all accounts, the Minnesota Vikings hold their own playoff destiny, including for the No. 1 overall seed.
So, if Kevin O’Connell & Co can win out, the Vikings will be 2024 NFC North Champions and get the only first round bye in the NFC for 2024-25. What about the Detroit Lions?
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Remember, Minnesota and Detroit play each other in week 18, the NFL regular season finale. If both teams are 14-2, entering that matchup, it will decide both the division and the regular season NFC Champion.
What’s the difference between winning the NFC North and getting a wildcard berth?
As fun as this season has been, it would be mostly for nothing, if the Vikings cannot catch the Lions. Finish behind Detroit, and the highest seed Minnesota can get is No. 5. That would mean no first round bye and no first round home game. Instead, they’d have to go on the road to Los Angeles, Seattle, Atlanta, Arizona or Tampa Bay.
| Wk | Vikings Schedule | Lions Schedule |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | Bears | |
| 16 | @ Seahawks | @ Bears |
| 17 | Packers | @ 49ers |
| 18 | @ Lions | Vikings |
The 4-9 Bears are losers of seven-straight games, and the 11-2 Vikings have won five-straight. But we know better than to get ahead of ourselves, in this sports town. Sure, everyone is picking Minnesota, and for good reason. But the pressure is now on tonight, in prime time.
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The Vikings are at home, and they are playing a struggling, inferior opponent, that appears just as ready to play golf as they are football. Do your job, and the NFL world will be your oyster. But we’ve seen this story before. The purple are just -7 favorites, at home, too. That tells us Vegas is a bit leary too.
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