Category: Playoffs

NFL analyst sees Vikings-Rams Wild Card matchup as a toss-up

Tyler Brooke of The 33rd Team talked about Minnesota’s playoff matchup and discussed the possibility of an upset occurring for the Vikings. 

The NFL Wild Card round is upon us and while Vikings fans hoped they wouldn’t be watching their team, the Lions had other plans. Coming off a disappointing season finale performance in Detroit, the Vikings have a lot to prove against the Rams.

Tyler Brooke of The 33rd Team talked about Minnesota’s playoff matchup and discussed the possibility of an upset occurring for the Vikings. This is a rematch of a matchup we have already seen this season and he discusses what makes this game so close despite the previous viewing of it.

Brooke gives the Vikings credit for their coaching staff building such a complete team writing, “Kevin O’Connell and Brian Flores have built up one of the best complimentary football teams in the league.” All season long Vikings teams have enjoyed watching this team build momentum for each side of the ball and allowing for them to remain fresh as a result.

For the Rams, Brook also gives their offense credit but worries about the defense. He writes, “For as talented as their defense is, the Rams are so young on that side of the ball that the lack of playoff experience could lead to some mental lapses.”

While he ranks the game as a 5 out of 10 on the upset charts, he does believe the Vikings offense to be the difference maker in the end.

“. . .the Vikings’ offensive attack is simply too balanced to be on full-on upset watch.”

A look into possible playoff opponents for the Lions

A look into possible playoff opponents for the Lions and how they might match up with Detroit

With their win over the Minnesota Vikings in week 18, the Lions have secured the number one seed in the NFC, home-field advantage and a first-round bye. Now, Detroit will look ahead to who they will play in the Divisional Round next week. 

The Lions will play the lowest remaining seed after Wild Card Weekend, meaning that they will not be seeing the number two seed Philadelphia Eagles or the three-seeded Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Divisional. There are four potential options for Detroit, and a deeper look into each is needed. 

#4 seed Los Angeles Rams

If the Rams defeat the Vikings, they could be headed to Detroit if the Eagles and Buccaneers take care of business, leaving the top four seeds in the NFC alive. 

Looking into Los Angeles, the Lions faced them in an overtime thriller in week one of the season, and after that, the Rams struggled, starting the season 1-4. That being said, throughout the remainder of the season, they went 9-4 and have drastically improved on offense. Led by former longtime Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford, running back Kyren Williams, and wide receiver duo Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles has been red hot. Against a depleted Lion’s defense, the matchup might be dangerous for Detroit. 

 

#5 seed Minnesota Vikings

With two division rivals in the playoffs, there is a fifty percent chance the Lions meet one of them, and it could very well be the Vikings. 

After a disastrous performance in week eighteen’s game for the one seed, Minnesota finds themselves hungry for revenge against a team they have now lost to twice throughout the season. In order for the Vikings to have an opportunity to move forward, quarterback Sam Darnold will need to work out the issues in his game and get the ball to star receiver Justin Jefferson. Along with that, their defense must tighten up against the red hot Detroit offense, or it will be another win against the Vikings for the Lions.

 

#6 seed Washington Commanders

One of the biggest shocks of the season was the turn around of the Commander’s franchise. The Cinderella story was all started by star rookie quarterback, Jayden Daniels and his chemistry with wide receiver Terry Mclaurin. That being said, they tend to find themselves in extremely close games and have happened to win nearly all of them, despite a few. Unfortunately for Washington, they are a bottom three team in rush defense which can easily kill their Super Bowl chances with a running back like Jahmyr Gibbs on the sideline. Unless their defensive issues are cleaned up, there is a strong chance their season could end against Detroit. 

 

#7 seed Green Bay Packers

Another possible division rematch and another rival looking to get their first win against the dominant Lions. The Packers have been on the wrong side of history many different times throughout the season, as in their six losses, five have been one-score games. The only team to have a two-possession loss over them are the Lions. That being said, out of the NFC North, Green Bay has the smallest point deficit against Detroit at 13 between two games. Lastly, the Packers are also the best-ranked overall offense and defense that the Lions may face in the Divisional. Meaning that if the teams meet in the next round, it is not a slam dunk for Detroit. 

Bucs vs. Commanders in NFL playoffs bracket: Time, date for wild-card game

After winning the NFC South, and the Rams losing in Week 18, the Bucs jumped into the three seed in the NFC side of the playoff bracket.

When will the Bucs and Commanders play in the NFL Playoffs?

After winning the NFC South, and the Rams losing in Week 18, the Bucs jumped into the three seed in the NFC side of the playoff bracket.

The Bucs defeated the Saints to win their division in Week 18, but it is a Week 1 opponent that the team now has to think about. After defeating the Commanders on September 8 by a score of 37-20, they will have a chance to confirm that win on Sunday night.

The Commanders are a much different team than they were in Week 1. The defense bought into Dan Quinn’s defense, the offense led by rookie Jayden Daniels is shining, and the team is a force to be reckoned with. It isn’t likely to be as one sided a matchup as it was before, but rather more entertaining.

Monday’s game will only be available on NBC and Peacock, and will kick off at 8:20 p.m. ET.

[afflinkbutton text=”Watch Bucs vs Commanders live on Fubo” link=”https://www.fubo.tv/welcome/leagues/191261?irad=399332&irmp=1205322&subId1=SMG&subId2=NCAAF&subId3=2024″]

Bucs 2024 Schedule

  • Sept. 8: Washington (W, 37-20)
  • Sept. 15: at Detroit (W, 20-16)
  • Sept. 22: Denver (L, 26-7)
  • Sept. 29: Philadelphia (W, 33-16)
  • Oct. 3: at Atlanta (L, 36-30 OT)
  • Oct. 13: at New Orleans (W, 51-27)
  • Oct. 21: Baltimore (L, 41-31)
  • Oct. 27: Atlanta (L, 26-31)
  • Nov. 4: at Kansas City (L, 24-30)
  • Nov. 10: San Francisco (L, 20-23)
  • Bye Week
  • Nov. 24: at New York Giants (W, 30-7)
  • Dec. 1: at Carolina (W, 26-23)
  • Dec. 8: Las Vegas (W, 28-13)
  • Dec. 15: at LA Chargers (W, 40-17)
  • Dec. 22: at Dallas (L, 26-24)
  • Dec. 29: Carolina (W, 48-14)
  • Jan. 5: New Orleans (W, 27-19)
  • Record: 10-7

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We now know where the loser of the Vikings-Lions game will play

The rest of the playoff slate is set heading into Sunday night’s Vikings game against the Lions. Where will the loser play next weekend?

We know where all but one playoff game will be played ahead of the Minnesota Vikings’ matchup with the Detroit Lions on Sunday Night Football.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers locked up the NFC South with a 27-19 victory over the New Orleans Saints. This secured a home playoff game for the Bucs. But they still had to wait until the afternoon game between the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks to see what seed they would hold in the playoffs.

Sean McVay chose to rest starters for Week 18, prioritizing player health over playoff seeding. The Rams already secured a playoff spot but their seeding remained in question. Although they had a chance to win at the end, they lost 27-25 to the Seahawks.

This locked the Bucs into the NFC’s No. 3 seed. They will host the Washington Commanders next weekend for Super Wild Card Weekend.

The Rams, now locked into the NFC’s No. 4 seed, will host the loser of the Vikings-Lions game. LA handed the Vikings their last loss of the season back on Oct. 24 and took the Lions to overtime in a Week 1 loss in Detroit.

Whoever wins Sunday night’s game gets the luxury of not only home-field advantage, but they will also avoid a first-round matchup with a team that matches up well with them.

NFL playoff picture: Where Vikings sit in bracket before Week 18 games

Where do the Vikings fall if win on Sunday? What happens if they don’t? We have those answers.

The Vikings and their fanbase are just 24 hours away from their biggest game of the season when they attempt to win the NFC North. A win over the Lions in primetime would secure them the division, but it would also allow them have the number one seed in the NFC playoffs.

Where do the Vikings fall if they don’t win on Sunday, though?

At this point, it is pretty cut and dry at this point for the team. We mentioned what a win does for them, but a loss would send them tumbling down to the five seed as a wildcard. Despite having a record of 14-3 in that instance, they would be forced to go on the road to either Atlanta or Tampa Bay as the lowly winner of the NFC South.

The winner of the NFC South could have either a 10-7 record if the Bucs win or a 9-8 record if the Falcons win while the Bucs lose on Sunday.

It is going to be a very interesting final Sunday in the NFL. For Vikings fans, it will be nice to know that they will know who they play, or don’t, by the team their game is done late on Sunday night.

The Vikings are a lock for the playoffs. Who could they play there?

Who could the Vikings potentially face in the NFL playoffs this year?

The Minnesota Vikings are going to the playoffs regardless of Sunday night’s outcome against the Detroit Lions. Seeding is still on the line, though. A victory would give them home-field advantage and a bye week as the NFC’s No. 1 seed. But a loss would drop them to the No. 5 seed, forcing them to play on the road in the wild-card round.

If the Vikings secured the No. 1 seed, they would play the lowest-remaining seed in the NFC playoffs. This could be any team in the playoffs besides the Philadelphia Eagles, who are already locked into the No. 2 seed.

It remains to be seen where the Vikings will play if they end up with the No. 5 seed. Six of the seven NFC teams are determined, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons battling to win the NFC South.

The Bucs host the New Orleans Saints this Sunday. Atlanta will face the Carolina Panthers. Tampa Bay will clinch the NFC South with a win, while a loss and Atlanta win would get the Falcons in. If the seeding doesn’t change, the Vikings would currently head to Tampa Bay or Atlanta.

But the Los Angeles Rams could complicate things. Although they haven’t secured the No. 3 seed, head coach Sean McVay confirmed they will rest their starters against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 18.

This is a surprising decision, considering the Rams could drop to the No. 4 seed with a loss and a Bucs win. That would lead them to host the loser of the Vikings-Lions game. A Rams win in Week 18 would lock them into the No. 3 seed.

A Vikings victory in the wild card round could potentially set up a rematch with the Lions. If the Washington Commanders and Green Bay Packers, who are both locked into either the No. 6 or 7 seeds, were to lose, the Vikings would be the lowest-remaining seed. That would send them to Ford Field for the second time in three weeks.

If either the Commanders or Packers won their games, the Vikings would travel to Philadelphia as the highest-remaining seed. This might be the least desirable outcome, as the Eagles have ended promising Vikings seasons before.

An NFC North rematch could still happen if the Vikings get the No. 1 seed. The Lions would travel to Minnesota if the above scenario were to play out for them. But if the Packers won and were the lowest-remaining seed, the Vikings would host them for the second time in four weeks.

There is an outside chance the Vikings, as the No. 5 seed, could host a playoff game in the divisional round. If they win, and the Packers and Commanders win their games, the Vikings would host the No. 7 seed.

Week 18’s matchup against the Lions determines who will get the NFC’s top seed. But it may not be the final time the Vikings and Lions face off this season.

What playoff scenarios exist for the Bucs heading into Week 18?

Their playoff scenarios are pretty cut and dry, but there is a unique twist for the Bucs that isn’t discussed often.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in a unique situation as opposed to most of the other teams pursuing their NFL playoff dreams. They have to win the NFC South; otherwise, they are not good enough to make it to the dance with the rest of the teams in the NFL.

Their playoff scenarios are pretty cut and dry, but there is a unique twist: they can not only be the fourth seed, but they also have a shot at the third seed.

Here are the scenarios they have in front of them:

  • They can earn the three-seed if they beat the Saints and the Rams lose to the Seahawks
  • They get the four-seed with a win over the Saints or with a Rams win and losses by both the Falcons and them

Ideally, they win on Sunday in a game they are in with no other games to worry about. It has to be reassuring as a fan, however, knowing that if they get upset, they still have a chance of winning the division.

Lots of drama to unfold on the final Sunday of the NFL schedule.

NFC playoff picture and postseason scenarios entering Week 18

NFC playoff picture and postseason scenarios entering Week 18, including all potential outcomes for the Detroit Lions

One week, 16 games. That’s all that remains in the 2024 regular season. The playoffs are right around the corner the picture is almost complete in the NFC.

We knew even before Monday night’s game that the Lions and Minnesota Vikings would meet in Week 18 under the bright lights of Sunday Night Football and Game 272 to decide the No. 1 seed. It’s the first final-week game to decide a conference’s No. 1 seed since the Cowboys and Giants met at the end of the 1993 season.

The winner finishes 15-2, gets the NFC North, the first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. The loser has to go on the road as the No. 5 seed at 14-3, likely to either Tampa Bay or Atlanta but also possibly Los Angeles. We haven’t seen a Wild Card team with this strong of a record since the 1999 Tennessee Titans were 13-3 (the Jaguars won the AFC Central at 14-2). Even then, the Titans still had a home game in the first round, as there were only three divisions in each conference. That game became a little something called the “Music City Miracle,” and the Titans eventually reached Super Bowl XXXIV (beating the Jaguars to win the AFC) before falling one yard short against the Rams.

This time around, the stakes are even higher. We’re talking about the possibility of a 14-3 team going on the road against a team 10-7 or even 9-8 if Atlanta steals the division. Detroit will be rocking Sunday night.

As far as the rest of the playoff picture is concerned, here’s a quick breakdown.

The Philadelphia Eagles (13-3) clinched the NFC East with a 41-7 rout of the Dallas Cowboys. The Eagles are locked into the No. 2 seed for the NFC playoffs and will host either the Washington Commanders (11-5) or Green Bay Packers (11-5) in the first round.

The Los Angeles Rams secured the NFC West title thanks to the Commanders’ wild overtime win Sunday night against the Falcons. The division came down to the strength of victory tiebreaker to secure the division title for the Rams. L.A. sits as the No. 3 seed and will secure that spot with a win against the Seahawks or a Buccaneers loss against the Saints on Sunday.

The Buccaneers (9-7) took back control of the NFC South because of that Falcons loss and now just need to beat the Saints on Sunday to secure their fourth straight division title. However, a loss opens the door for the Falcons (8-8) if they defeat the Panthers. The Buccaneers can jump the Rams for the No. 3 seed; the Falcons can only be the No. 4 seed.

Washington is in control of the No. 6 seed by virtue of a better conference record than the Packers (8-3 vs. 6-5). Washington locks up the No. 6 seed with a win over the Cowboys or a Packers loss against the Bears. If Green Bay wins and Washington loses, the Packers move up to No. 6 and the Commanders fall to No. 7.

NFC Playoff Standings

1. x-Detroit Lions 14-2
2. y-Philadelphia Eagles 13-3
3. y-Los Angeles Rams 10-6
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-7
5. x-Minnesota Vikings 14-2
6. x-Washington Commanders 11-5
7. x-Green Bay Packers 11-5

In the hunt:

8. Atlanta Falcons 8-8

What are the Vikings’ chances to win the NFC North heading into Week 17?

ESPN has projections on the Minnesota Vikings’ chances to win the NFC North heading into Week 17.

The Minnesota Vikings have two pivotal games left in the regular season, and they both come against NFC North foes. They face the Green Bay Packers this Sunday and then will play the Detroit Lions in Week 18.  These games will decide the winner of the NFC North.

ESPN provided a breakdown of the NFL playoff picture entering Week 17. Their Football Power Index (FPI) powered their projections for the rest of the season.

The Vikings are one of four NFC teams to have already secured a playoff berth. ESPN’s projections give the Vikings a 23% chance to win the NFC North. Detroit can clinch the division if the Vikings lose to the Packers and the Lions beat the 49ers. A Vikings victory over the Packers would make the Lions-49ers game meaningless.

ESPN gives the Vikings an 18% chance to earn a first-round bye and secure home field, the second-highest mark in the NFC. The Vikings would need to beat Green Bay and Detroit to guarantee this. Minnesota would still have hope to win home-field advantage if they lost to the Packers as long as the 49ers beat the Lions. However, this would give the Eagles a chance to steal home field.

Finally, ESPN gives the Vikings a 13% chance to advance to the Super Bowl. This is the fourth-highest total in the conference, behind the Lions (38%), Eagles (16%), and Packers (16%).

The playoffs haven’t officially begun, but the jockeying for the NFC’s top seed is in full force.

NFC Playoff Picture: Lions effectively down to one contender for No. 1 seed

A look at the Detroit Lions and the NFC playoff picture with two weeks to play shows a clear path to being the No. 1 seed

The Detroit Lions got back on track with a 34-17 win over the Chicago Bears to move to 13-2 and continue to close in on the No. 1 seed, the first-round bye and home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs. They also watched as the Philadelphia Eagles lost in the final seconds against the Washington Commanders to fall to 12-3. That loss all but eliminates the Eagles from No. 1 seed contention.

The Lions were close to standing as the only 13-win team in the NFC but the pesky Minnesota Vikings escaped Seattle with a 27-24 win over the Seahawks to also get to 13-2. The two teams look to be on a collision course for the division crown and the top seed in Week 18.

However, there is actually a chance the Lions can secure the top seed next week. If the Lions defeat the San Francisco 49ers next Monday and the Vikings lose to the Green Bay Packers, the Lions would wrap everything up. In that scenario, the worst-case scenario would be the Lions, Vikings and Eagles all finishing 14-3. Detroit would win the division over Minnesota on division record, even if Minnesota wins Week 18 (Lions 5-1, Vikings 4-2). The Lions would then claim the No. 1 seed over the Eagles with a superior conference record (DET 10-2, PHI 9-3).

Minnesota cannot clinch the division next week. Even if they win and the Lions lose in Week 17, a Lions win in Week 18 would give them the division with the season sweep of the Vikings.

Then there’s this scenario: the Lions and Vikings both win in Week 17, setting up the showdown in Week 18 in Detroit. The winner claims the No. 1 seed at 15-2. The loser ends up as a 14-win No. 5 seed, which seems unfathomable, but very realistic.

Looking at the rest of the playoff picture, Philadelphia’s loss prevented them from clinching the NFC East. Their magic number is still at one to clinch the division and all but lock themselves into the No. 2 seed in the playoffs. Washington is now just one win away from securing a playoff spot of their own for the first time since 2020.

The Los Angeles Rams are now in the driver’s seat for the NFC West after their 19-9 win over the New York Jets. The only team that can catch them now in the division is Seattle. The Rams have a chance to clinch the division next week.

In the NFC South, entering Sunday Night Football, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hold a half-game lead on the Atlanta Falcons after the Falcons cruised past the New York Giants. Atlanta has the tiebreaker via the season sweep of Tampa Bay, but if the Buccaneers win out, they win the division.

The Packers just need to win once to reach the playoffs and secure a Wild Card spot, just like the Commanders. The only teams left on the outside still in the hunt are the Seahawks and the Falcons. The Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers, Arizona Cardinals and New Orleans Saints were all eliminated in Week 16.

NFC Playoff Standings (through Week 16 late-window games)

1. x-Detroit Lions 13-2
2. x-Philadelphia Eagles 12-3
3. Los Angeles Rams 9-6
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 8-6
5. x-Minnesota Vikings 13-2
6. Green Bay Packers 10-4
7. Washington Commanders 10-5

8. Seattle Seahawks 8-7
9. Atlanta Falcons 8-7