Minnesota Vikings vs Packers in Week 12 could decide the NFC North champs
By Adam Carlson
The Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers fought to a tie in Week 2 and that game makes the team’s second matchup in Week 12 even more important.
So far, there has been a tie game in each week of the 2018 NFL season. The first involved the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers, but the second one between the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers could have a huge impact in determining the winner of the division.
Even though the Chicago Bears are looking really good so far this season, the two favorites to be the NFC North champions remain to be the Vikings and Packers, who are both undefeated headed into week 3 of the season.
Of course, the team with the best record in the division will be a lock for the playoffs, but determining who those teams will be got a little more interesting following the 29-29 tie in Week 2.
If the Vikings and Packers end the season with identical records at the top of the division, the procedure in place puts head-to-head matchups first, meaning the squad who wins the second matchup between these two teams in Week 12 would automatically win the division according to NFL.com.
If the Bears (or the Lions?) somehow tie a game during the season and join in the tiebreaker procedure, the deciding factor would be head-to-head matchups between the three squads followed by division records.
However, including the one tie in all these situations puts so much more emphasis on Week 12, making that game at U.S. Bank Stadium between the Vikings and Packers as close to a must-win game as there can be looking forward.
As if upcoming games against the Rams, Eagles, Saints, Patriots, and other teams aren’t going to be enough of a challenge, even more pressure is on the squad in making sure to lock down division wins…especially against Green Bay.
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There are 14 games remaining on the Minnesota Vikings schedule during the regular season, but that Week 12 Sunday Night Football game against the Green Bay Packers on Nov. 25 has to be one circled on the calendar for nearly all football fans due to how important it could be in determining the winner of the NFC North. Hopefully, it doesn’t end in another tie.