Following the result of Sunday's Week 18 matchup inside Ford Field, the Minnesota Vikings at 14-3 and Detroit Lions at 15-2 became just the third pair of teams from the same conference in NFL history to each enter the playoffs with at least 14 wins in the regular season.
This has only been accomplished two other times. The most recent instance took place in 2004 with the AFC's Pittsburgh Steelers (15-1) and New England Patriots (14-2), and before that, the Vikings (15-1) and Atlanta Falcons (14-2) did it in during the 1998 season.
In both 2004 and 1998, the team from the pair who had the fewer amount of wins went on to make that season's Super Bowl. So, if this trend continues, Minnesota should be heading to New Orleans in a few weeks to represent the NFC in Super Bowl LIX.
Pressure lowered for Minnesota Vikings after loss to Detroit Lions
Sure, it would have been nice for the Vikings to get a win on Sunday and enter the playoffs as the No. 1 seed in the NFC with home-field advantage. But Minnesota might now actually have a better shot at making it all the way to the Super Bowl this season after their Week 18 loss to the Lions.
Now, everyone will be back to counting the Vikings out and lowering their expectations for them heading into the postseason. Throughout the franchise's history, Minnesota has oftentimes experienced some of its most success during the years when there weren't really any expectations for them.
No one in their wildest dreams thought the Vikings were going to finish with a 15-1 record and break the NFL's all-time scoring record before the start of the 1998 season. Everyone counted Minnesota out in 2017 after the team was forced to make Case Keenum their starting quarterback.
As soon as the expectations for those Vikings teams reached a level where people actually started to believe in them, they stumbled. The pressure that comes from attempting to be the team to deliver Minnesota its first-ever Super Bowl win is something that no one has been able to previously overcome.
A number of players inside the current Vikings locker room have said how this season has been the most fun they've ever had playing football. That's been partly due to Minnesota being able to play with a free mind and not having to worry about living up to any lofty expectations since nothing was expected of them in 2024 anyway.
Following Sunday's loss, the Vikings now find themselves in a similar position with little to no expectations from the national media heading into the playoffs. Minnesota no longer has anything to lose and that might be exactly what they need to earn a spot in this season's Super Bowl.