How far can the Minnesota Vikings go in the playoffs?
By John Buhler
The Minnesota Vikings upset the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Wild Card round on Sunday. How far can the Vikings go in the NFL playoffs this season?
The Minnesota Vikings pulled off the road upset on Sunday afternoon by beating the New Orleans Saints 26-20 in overtime. Minnesota went into the Mercedes-Benz Superdome as the underdog and came out victorious in one of the most hostile road environments in the NFL. Minnesota will face the top-seeded San Francisco 49ers next week in the divisional round. How far can they go?
Having to go to Santa Clara to play the 49ers won’t be easy, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Minnesota can pull off the road upset once again. San Francisco may have the best record in the NFC this year, but this team hasn’t been in the playoffs in years. So the 49ers have that going against them, as well as going from completely out of it, to being the hunted.
As long as starting quarterback Kirk Cousins plays well and he can lean on running back Dalvin Cook, Minnesota can go into Levi’s Stadium and stun the 49ers in the NFC Divisional Round. It’s not like Santa Clara is as tough of a road environment as what the Vikings just played in with the Superdome. Plus, the Vikings do match up decently with the 49ers, despite being a No. 6 seed.
Should the Vikings pull off another road upset of the 49ers next week, they would have to play theoretically one of three teams in the NFC Championship: The Green Bay Packers, the Philadelphia Eagles or the Seattle Seahawks. Minnesota would have to play all three on the road in the theoretical NFC Championship game. Again, all three of those matchups are totally winnable.
Admittedly, playing on the road vs. the division-rival Packers would be very tough. Winning in Lambeau Field is tough for anybody, but having to play a team for the third time in a season is no joke. Ultimately, we can’t reasonably expect the Vikings to win on the road three consecutive times over the Saints, the 49ers and the Packers to reach Super Bowl LIV down in Miami Gardens.
That being said, should either the Eagles or the Seahawks be able to upset the Packers in Lambeau and play the Vikings in the NFC Championship, Minnesota has the roster to win those theoretical matchups. Both the Eagles and the Seahawks are so banged up at this point of the year. Add in one more tough game with the Packers and who will be left to play for them?
So yes, the Vikings can reach the Super Bowl for the fifth time in franchise history and for the first time since Fran Tarkenton was their superstar quarterback. It’s all about the matchups when it comes to the Vikings going forward, but knocking New Orleans out in the Wild Card Round might be the momentum needed to propel the Vikings to the Super Bowl.
However, we can’t expect the Vikings to beat whoever comes out of the AFC this year down in Miami. Odds are Minnesota will face the winner of the Kansas City Chiefs at the Baltimore Ravens AFC Championship game in Super Bowl LIV. Minnesota won’t be favored over those teams. Frankly, how sure are we they’d be favored over the Tennessee Titans if they represent the AFC?
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At this time, the Vikings are good enough to reach the Super Bowl. It’s an extreme parlay, but the pathway is potentially there. Overall, none of this will matter unless the Vikings find a way to shock the top-seeded 49ers next weekend in Santa Clara. Congratulations on the huge road victory over the Saints. Hopefully, you can carry the momentum into the divisional round.