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.