Vikings would have a first-round bye if the playoffs started after Week 12
By Adam Patrick
The Minnesota Vikings at 9-2 currently have the second best record in the NFC as the 2017 postseason is set to begin in a few weeks.
Just five full weeks of football now remain in the 2017 NFL season after Sunday’s matchups around the league. As of Monday afternoon, the Minnesota Vikings and their 9-2 record are in a prime position to be one of the NFC’s top two seeds when the playoffs begin in January.
Below is the current playoff seeding in NFC if the regular season were to end after what went down in Week 12.
Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. . player. 54. . Philadelphia Eagles (10-1). 1
Week 12 result: Defeated the Chicago Bears 31-3
Next two games: at Seattle Seahawks (7-4), at Los Angeles Rams (8-3)
60. 2. . . Minnesota Vikings (9-2). player. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis
Week 12 result: Defeated the Detroit Lions 30-23
Next two games: at Atlanta Falcons (7-4), at Carolina Panthers (8-3)
51. Pick Analysis. . Los Angeles Rams (8-3). 3. player. Scouting Report.
Week 12 result: Defeated the New Orleans Saints 26-20
Next two games: at Arizona Cardinals (5-6), Philadelphia Eagles (10-1)
. 15. Pick Analysis. . New Orleans Saints (8-3). 4. player. Scouting Report
Week 12 result: Lost to the Los Angeles Rams 26-20
Next two games: Carolina Panthers (8-3), at Atlanta Falcons (7-4)
Pick Analysis. . Carolina Panthers (8-3). player. 87. Scouting Report. . 5
Week 12 result: Defeated the New York Jets 35-27
Next two games: at New Orleans Saints (8-3), Minnesota Vikings (9-2)
. 6. 44. Pick Analysis. . Atlanta Falcons (7-4). player. Scouting Report
Week 12 result: Defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 34-20
Next two games: Minnesota Vikings (9-2), New Orleans Saints (8-3)
(Still in contention: Seattle Seahawks (7-4) and Detroit Lions (6-5))
As one should be able to tell from the upcoming opponents each of these six teams will be facing over the next couple of weeks, the seeding as it currently is will likely be very different come Week 15. The battle for the NFC’s top two spots in the playoffs will likely come down to the very last game of the regular season.
Of course, the dream scenario for the Vikings would be for them to be able to capture the top seed in the conference and have home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, including the Super Bowl if they were able to make it that far. However, they still have a lot of work to do before that dream can become anything close to a reality.
Next: Hall of Famer picks the Vikings to win Super Bowl 52
But even Mike Zimmer knows how amazing it would be for Minnesota to play at U.S. Bank Stadium in this year’s Super Bowl.