3 games Vikings fans should watch during Week 14
By Chris Schad
San Francisco 49ers (10-2) at New Orleans Saints (10-2)
Time: 12 p.m. CT, Sunday
Line: Saints by 2 points
Playoff Position: San Francisco – 5th, New Orleans – 1st
This game is just an example of how tight the NFC playoff picture is right now. Last week, the 49ers were locked into the first seed in the NFC, but they ran into Lamar Jackson and the white-hot Baltimore Ravens.
After the Vikings lost in Seattle on Monday night, the Seahawks took over first place in the NFC West (thanks to a Week 10 victory in San Francisco), claimed the second seed in the conference, and sent the 49ers tumbling all the way to the fifth seed.
Life comes at you fast.
Things do not get much easier for San Francisco in Week 14 as they’ll face a Saints team that currently holds home-field advantage in the NFC.
To boot, they’ll have to go to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, where it’s always loud and Michael Thomas will attempt to continue his march toward the single-season reception record. Thankfully for the 49ers, they should have the services of corner Richard Sherman, who practiced in full on Friday.
From a Vikings perspective, this game will allow Minnesota to make the NFC playoff picture even tighter assuming they take care of the Lions (and also assuming there isn’t a tie here). Both teams are capable of winning this game, but with the matchup taking place in the Superdome, New Orleans has to have the edge here.