Vikings clinch a spot in the playoffs thanks to Rams loss on Saturday

After the Los Angeles Rams suffered a loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday night, the Minnesota Vikings have now secured a spot in the 2019 playoffs.

There is still an entire day until they take the field on Monday night against the Green Bay Packers, but the Minnesota Vikings have already clinched a spot in the 2019 playoffs thanks to some help from the San Francisco 49ers.

On Saturday, the 49ers were able to squeak out a 34-31 win over the Los Angeles Rams. With San Francisco’s victory, the Rams were eliminated from postseason contention and the Vikings have clinched one of the six spots in this year’s NFC playoff bracket.

With a spot in the postseason already secured, Minnesota may take a more cautious approach when it comes to the health of their team during the final two games of their schedule.

Dalvin Cook has already been ruled out for Monday night’s battle against the Packers and with the Vikings clinching a playoff spot on Saturday, one should expect the running back to sit out in Week 17 as well.

At the very least, Minnesota will enter this year’s NFC playoff bracket as the sixth seed. However, the Vikings are still in contention for the No. 5, No. 3, and No. 2 seeds in the conference.

If Minnesota wins their final two games and Green Bay loses each of their final two, then the Vikings will begin the postseason as the No. 3 seed in the NFC. If this outcome is combined with the New Orleans Saints losing in Week 17 to the Carolina Panthers, then Minnesota will finish the season as the No. 2 seed in the conference and have a first-round playoff bye.

For now, the Vikings can rest a little easier until their big matchup on Monday knowing they will at least be playing extra football after their final game of the regular season.