Wild Card Weekend is here in the NFL and Minnesota Vikings fans will be watching to determine who will come to U.S. Bank Stadium next week!
The NFL playoffs are upon us and fans of the Minnesota Vikings will not be watching their team play during the Wild Card round of the playoffs. However, the good news is that Minnesota is on a bye week and will face one of the teams from this weekend’s games.
Of course, each team in the NFC playoffs has their own strengths and weaknesses which could cause interesting matchup problems with the Vikings during the Division of Conference round of the tournament.
So, which teams should Vikings fans be rooting for and who should they hope to fail to win this weekend? Let’s break it down.
Los Angeles Rams
If the Rams win, they will be coming to Minnesota next week. Since they are the top seed in the Wild Card round, a victory assures them a matchup against the Vikings, and that is something they may not like very much.
Earlier this season, the Vikings held MVP candidate Todd Gurley in check and throttled the Rams 24-7 in a game where Latavius Murray found the end zone twice. This is a favorable matchup for Minnesota and one that Vikings fans should be hoping for.
New Orleans Saints
Yes, the Vikings beat the Saints once already this year, but they are not that same team anymore. A scary combination of Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara have taken the league by storm and the New Orleans defense has been able to come together with help from some young players developing to be a scary unit.
Vikings fans should be cheering for the Panthers to beat the Saints in hope that another matchup won’t happen. Considering this history between the Vikings and Saints, that makes this possible meeting VERY scary.
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Carolina Panthers
Yes, the Panthers are the only team in the NFC side of the playoffs who defeated the Vikings during the regular season, but that was due to multiple uncharacteristic mistakes by Minnesota in a game on the road.
While Cam Newton is one of the best players in the NFL when he is on top of his game, his inconsistency makes him a huge wild card. Plus, Minnesota at home could make another matchup between the teams VERY different.
Atlanta Falcons
There is no chance that Minnesota will play Atlanta since they are the lowest seeded team in the NFC playoffs. However, if they are able to defeat the Rams and then beat the Eagles, Minnesota could see them in the Conference game in two weeks.
However, this is another game that could be interesting. Julio Jones is usually a monster, but he seems to have a very hard time with cornerback Xavier Rhodes. Add in a strong Vikings run defense, and it will be tough for the Falcons to get a win.
Next: Time and date for Vikings first playoff game
The biggest threat to the Minnesota Vikings in the playoffs on the NFC side is the Saints. They’re a hot team with a lot of explosive pieces and different ways to win. Because of this, fans should be rooting for the Rams and Panthers to get wins during Wild Card Weekend.