Tag: 2024 NFL Playoffs

Updated Vikings playoff and division odds following Week 11

ESPN has released its updated playoff predictors, and the Vikings are starting to feel comfortable about the playoffs. 

The Minnesota Vikings sit on the season with an 8-2 record through 11 weeks of the season. The team is playing like one of the best in the NFL, not just the NFC, but what are their chances for the playoffs and winning the division?

ESPN has released its updated playoff predictors, and the Vikings are starting to feel comfortable about the playoffs.

ESPN currently has the Vikings’ playoff chances at 95% to make them. Barring a collapse of epic proportions; they are set for the playoffs. However, their odds of winning the division sit at just 10% so that is a bit of an uphill climb for Minnesota.

Some other interesting odds that they included were for the team to earn a Bye Week (7%) and to make the Super Bowl (11%). Both are pretty far-fetched for the team, but they are fun to monitor. With so many division games down the stretch for this team, starting this weekend with the Bears, things are likely to change.

NFC playoff picture after Week 9 Sunday games: Everyone looking up at the Lions

NFC playoff picture after Week 9 Sunday games: Everyone looking up at the Lions

With one game left in Week 9, the NFL regular season is just about halfway in the books. As it stands coming out of Week 9, the road to Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans runs through Ford Field.

The 7-1 Detroit Lions remain with the best record in the NFC following their 24-14 victory over the Green Bay Packers. They come out of Week 9 with a one-game lead over the Minnesota Vikings, who defeated the Indianapolis Colts to move to 6-2. The Lions own a head-to-head victory over the Vikings. The second meeting comes in Week 18.

Green Bay sits in third place in the division at 6-3, a testament to how strong the division still is. All four teams are at least .500. The Chicago Bears fell to 4-4 following their 29-9 loss to the Arizona Cardinals Sunday.

Current NFC North standings

1. Detroit Lions 7-1
2. Minnesota Vikings 6-2
3. Green Bay Packers 6-3
4. Chicago Bears 4-4

Looking at the full playoff picture, the Lions hold the No. 1 seed by a half-game over the 7-2 Washington Commanders, arguably the biggest surprise of the first half of the season thanks to Rookie of the Year frontrunner Jayden Daniels.

In total, six teams have at least six wins through nine weeks. In addition to the three NFC North teams and the Commanders, the Atlanta Falcons (6-3) and Philadelphia Eagles (6-2) also have six wins. The Cardinals are the only other team with at least five wins, though the Tampa Bay Buccaneers can join them Monday if they pull off the upset of the Kansas City Chiefs.

Current NFC playoff standings

1. Detroit Lions 7-1
2. Washington Commanders 7-2
3. Atlanta Falcons 6-3
4. Arizona Cardinals 5-4
5. Minnesota Vikings 6-2
6. Philadelphia Eagles 6-2
7. Green Bay Packers 6-3

8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4-4
9. Chicago Bears 4-4
10. Los Angeles Rams 4-4
11. San Francisco 49ers 4-4
12. Seattle Seahawks 4-5
13. Dallas Cowboys 3-5
14. Carolina Panthers 2-7
15. New Orleans Saints 2-7
16. New York Giants 2-7

Bleacher Report leaves Vikings out of 2024 playoff predictions

The NFC North is one of the toughest divisions in football. However, three of the four teams in it are expected to make the playoffs.

The NFC North is expected to be one of the toughest divisions in football in 2024. However, three of the four teams in it are expected to make the playoffs.

The one being left out? The Minnesota Vikings. Bleacher Report posted their playoff predictions on Friday and, for the most part, didn’t leave much to being egregiously wrong.

Now, before we throw our arms up and ask, “Why?” It is important to remember the landscape in which the team is making its way through in 2024. The entire division made improvements, including two with moves at the quarterback position, making this division full of what can be seen as complete teams.

For the Vikings, 2024 is going to be a learning year for many of their younger talent, but especially for quarterback J.J. McCarthy. We aren’t sure when or if we will see him this upcoming season, which leads to more concerns if Sam Darnold is to remain under center for an extended time.

The Lions and Packers making the playoffs makes sense. The Bears have a leg up on the Vikings for now, but if Caleb Williams struggles, that could give them a window of opportunity to break through.

A mic’d-up Jared Goff showed lots of class by praising Brock Purdy after heartbreaking Lions loss

A classy guy, that Jared Goff.

Even though the Detroit Lions suffered a heartbreaking loss in the NFC championship game, quarterback Jared Goff showed plenty of class while meeting San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy after the game.

Mics caught Goff encouraging Purdy on the field after the Lions’ loss, with Purdy visibly appreciative of Goff’s praise amid such a tough moment for the former first-overall pick.

Purdy’s rise from last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft to Super Bowl-starting quarterback has been quite impressive, and it looks like he’s got a fan in Goff. What a cool moment this is between two competitors after such a tight competition.

It’s great that NFL games can always end in pleasantries like this, as these two have both had inspiring stories to get to this past Sunday’s NFC title game.

We’re thinking these two might play each other in the playoffs again as the 49ers and Lions remain two of the conference’s best teams.

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4 things the Minnesota Vikings can learn from the NFC Championship game

Four things the Minnesota Vikings can learn from the 2024 NFC Championship game.

The San Francisco 49ers went against all odds and completed their comeback against the Detroit Lions to punch their ticket to Super Bowl LVII.

San Francisco rattled off 27 unanswered points in the second half after being down 24-7 at the halftime break. With how  Detroit played, it looked like everything had to line up perfectly for San Francisco to get to Las Vegas to avenge their Super Bowl LIV loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

It did. 

Back in the NFC North, the Minnesota Vikings are approaching one of the more crucial points in team history. General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has a unique chance to map out the short-term and long-term direction of the Vikings with their decisions this off-season.

These decisions also come with tough questions: Is the roster ready to compete now? If they are, how do they maximize the current window to compete? If they aren’t, how do they build towards competing sooner rather than later?

There is no right or wrong answer, but there are different ways to go about building this roster, and there are some real lessons that can come from watching a thriller like the Lions had against the 49ers.

Studs & Duds for the Lions playoff loss to the 49ers

Here are the Detroit Lions Studs and Duds as they fall one game short with the their loss to the San Francisco 49ers

The Detroit Lions’ remarkable season concludes on a heartbreaking note as they surrender a 17-point lead in a 34-31 defeat to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game.

In the first half, the Lions asserted control with a commanding 24-7 lead, showcasing an unstoppable offense and a defense that made crucial stops at opportune moments. However, the narrative took a sharp turn in the second half, as everything that could go wrong for the Lions seemingly did, creating a deficit they couldn’t overcome by the game’s end.

While the Lions’ season exceeded expectations, their inexperience and missed opportunities became evident in this critical game, leaving them just one step shy of a Super Bowl berth.

As we bid farewell to the season, let’s reflect on the Studs and Duds in the Lions’ loss to the 49ers in the NFC Championship.

Mics captured Taylor Swift and Tony Romo having an awkward conversation after a hug

Why did Taylor lie to this man like this?

Taylor Swift is such a kind soul that she doesn’t have the heart to tell Tony Romo that his commentary is making everyone cringe.

The Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens AFC Championship game lived up to the hype before the Ravens unraveled, of course. Like most fans suspected, Taylor Swift was in attendance to watch Travis Kelce and his boys win another trip to the Super Bowl, their fourth in five years.

All was going well as cameras filmed the Chiefs’ postgame trophy celebration ceremony, capturing some pretty dope moments between Travis and Taylor, Andy Reid and one shirt-wearing (this time!) Jason Kelce. But nothing could have prepared us for this totally awkward exchange between Taylor and Tony Romo.

Truthfully, we admire her ability to be kind to everyone, but, Taylor, — GIRL! — you don’t have to lie like this.

Michael Strahan carried Terry Bradshaw’s tradition of completely botching the NFC trophy presentation

You gotta let Joe Montana speak when the 49ers win, guy.

Michael Strahan is a solid pregame show host. For more than a decade he’s been a part of Fox broadcasts, prepping us for the game like all the other player-turned-analysts we’ve seen before.

Michael Strahan is a solid morning show host. For four years he showed up like a jacked Regis Philbin to chat with Kelly Ripa and it was mostly fine.

Michael Strahan is a terrible postgame ceremony host. Sunday’s presentation of the George Halas Trophy, awarded to the San Francisco 49ers after winning the NFC title game over the Detroit Lions, was proof.

Strahan was generally a mess start to finish. He seemingly had no control over his voice, shouting to the viewers at home as though he were eternally bombarded by planes flying just overhead. He misquoted the score of the game. Perhaps most egregiously, he reduced Niners legend Joe Montana to an on-stage prop rather than allowing him to congratulate the team he once guided to four world championships.

It was all a bit of a mess, but that in itself is a Fox tradition. Last year, we saw Terry Bradshaw bloviate his way through the Philadelphia Eagles’ title celebration. Needless to say, those who were still tuned in weren’t happy to have the celebration interrupted with an on-the-fly audition for America’s next forgettable game show.

The 12 NFL teams that have never won a Super Bowl as of 2024

Which NFL teams have never won a Super Bowl? Here’s the answer.

Welcome to the 2024 NFL postseason, in which we’ll find out who’s the champion at Super Bowl 58 in Las Vegas.

And it’s possible that one of the teams on this list might be there, hoisting the Lombardi Trophy for the very first time.

Of the teams that haven’t won a Super Bowl in NFL history, four of them are in the 2024 playoffs, so who knows? It’s possible we’ll see it happen this year, and that would be incredible for their fanbases and the rest of the league.

So here you have it: The 12 teams who have yet to win the Super Bowl heading into 2024:

An astounding Brandon Aiyuk catch bounced off a Lions defender’s face and everyone had the same Brock Purdy joke

Who else could complete an overthrown 51-yard pass off a cornerback’s facemask?

Brock Purdy’s credentials as a winning quarterback are undeniable. He’s 17-4 as a starter with the San Francisco 49ers to date.

But whether Purdy is an elite talent deserving of that record is another debate altogether. The former final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft is a high efficiency quarterback who can execute head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense to a T. He minimizes mistakes and has found a way to thrive in a playbook that previously propped up Jimmy Garoppolo before him.

He also plays a little worse than stats suggest. For the fifth straight year, the Niners have led the league in yards after catch, padding his passing numbers behind big runs from playmakers like Deebo Samuel, Christian McCaffrey, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle. His solid interception rate hinges on the fact that many of his bad decisions and wounded ducks harmlessly fall to the turf off the hands of frustrated defensive backs.

And then there’s this. A play that, if you tried to explain it to a friend who hadn’t watched the game, would leave you laughed at and branded a liar. A pass that bounces off Detroit Lions cornerback Kindle Vildor’s face for a 51-yard gain.

So while a big chunk of the discourse online revolved around Aiyuk’s concentration, a large part of Twitter marveled at the fact that, yes, apparently Purdy *can* keep getting away with it.