Vikings could play critical role in NFC Championship Game preparation

The Minnesota Vikings missed the playoffs, but their success in two particular games seems sure to have implications in the NFC Championship Game.

The Minnesota Vikings rallied from a 1-5 start to a 6-6 record, before losing to the New Orleans Saints on Christmas Day to fall to 6-9 and be eliminated from the playoffs. But the results they had in two games may prove important in the NFC Championship Game.

Via Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune::

So what did the Vikings do against the Packers and Buccaneers?

In Week 8, the Vikings went into Lambeau Field and beat the Green Bay Packers 28-22 to start their post-bye rally back to playoff contention. Running back Dalvin Cook was the star of that game, with 30 carries for 163 yards and three touchdowns with 63 receiving yards and another score.

Then in Week 13 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the road, the Vikings ran for 162 yards against the league’s No.1 run defense (80.6 yards per game). Cook had 22 carries for 102 yards and a touchdown in that game, as Minnesota dominated time of possession (39:03, to 20:57 for the Buccaneers). A missed extra point and three missed field goals by Dan Bailey cost the Vikings big in a 26-14 loss.

The Vikings were the only team to beat the Packers at Lambeau this year. Then they ran for twice as many yards against the Buccaneers compared to what they averaged allowing all season, while averaging nearly a yard-and-a-half more per carry (4.9) than Tampa Bay allowed for the season (3.6).

The Vikings’ success against the NFC Championship Game participants was rooted in one thing –the running game. The Packers ended up not being that bad against the run, finishing 13th in the league for the regular season.

As for who might have the advantage in the NFC title game? On the offensive side, Green Bay had the eighth-best rushing attack in the league during the regular season (132.4 yards per game) while Tampa Bay was 28th (94.9 yards per game).