Inside The Vikings

If the Vikings get the 5 seed, where are they most likely headed on Wild Card Weekend?

Only four possibilities remain: Atlanta, Tampa Bay, Los Angeles and Seattle.
Joe Nelson|
Nov 6, 2022; Tampa, Florida, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) scrambles with the ball while under pressure from Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Vita Vea (50) during the third quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Douglas DeFelice-Imagn Images
Nov 6, 2022; Tampa, Florida, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) scrambles with the ball while under pressure from Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Vita Vea (50) during the third quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Douglas DeFelice-Imagn Images | Douglas DeFelice-Imagn Images

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Minnesota Vikings

While the Minnesota Vikings control their own destiny and can clinch the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs by winning out to finish 15-2, there's a very real possibility that they don't win out and instead they enter the playoffs as the top wild card and the No. 5 seed.

As the No. 5 seed, they would hit the road on Wild Card Weekend and face the No. 4 seed, which will be one four teams: Atlanta Falcons, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Los Angeles Rams or Seattle Seahawks.

Seattle defeating Chicago 6-3 on Thursday night was big because they are 9-7 and still in the fight in the NFC West, but they still need a bit of a miracle to win the NFC West over the Rams. How big of a miracle? They could really use the Rams losing to Arizona to set up a winner-take-all showdown in Week 18, but if the Rams beat Arizona the Seahawks can only win the division by beating the Rams in Week 18 and winning a tiebreaker that will be decided by strength of victory.

Meanwhile, the Rams can clinch the West this weekend if they win and four of Buffalo, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Minnesota, San Francisco and Washington win.

Remaining schedules:

  • Atlanta: at Washington, vs. Carolina
  • Tampa Bay: vs. Carolina, vs. New Orleans
  • Los Angeles: vs. Arizona, vs. Seattle
  • Seattle: at Los Angeles Rams

in the battle for the NFC South, the Falcons can clinch the division with a win over the Commanders coupled with the Buccaneers losing at home to the Panthers on Sunday.

Tampa Bay can win the South by winning out and the Falcons losing one of its final two games.

Based on the betting odds, Tampa Bay is favored to win this weekend while the Falcons are expected to lose, so the Bucs would be in the driver's seat in Week 18 in that scenario.

Looking at it through that lens, the most likely winners of the West and South are the Rams and Bucs, respectively, and the most likely seeding for the two would be the Rams at No. 3 and the Bucs at No. 4, which would set Minnesota in motion to play the Bucs in Tampa on Wild Card Weekend.

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Joe Nelson
JOE NELSON

Joe Nelson has more than 20 years of experience in Minnesota sports journalism. Nelson began his career in sports radio, working at smaller stations in Marshall and St. Cloud before moving to the highly-rated KFAN-FM 100.3 in the Twin Cities. While there, he produced the popular mid-morning show hosted by Minnesota Vikings play-by-play announcer Paul Allen. His time in radio laid the groundwork for his transition to sports writing in 2011. He covers the Vikings, Timberwolves, Gophers and Twins for On SI.

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