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Vikings playoff picture: Scenarios, potential matchups, chances to win NFC North, No. 1 seed

Jack McKessy   Paste BN
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Imagine telling Minnesota Vikings fans before this season that their favorite team would control their own destiny in the NFC North title race with one game left on the schedule.

That's where the Vikings find themselves ahead of their "Sunday Night Football" regular-season finale. But that final game is also one of their biggest challenges with extraordinarily high stakes.

If Minnesota beats the Detroit Lions on the road, it will earn the division crown and the NFC's No. 1 seed.

If the Vikings lose in Detroit, they will fall to second place in the NFC North and enter the playoffs as the NFC's first wild-card team and No. 5 seed. Instead of receiving a first-round bye, they would play a wild-card playoff game on the road next week.

Here's a full look at the Vikings' playoff outlook entering their final game of the regular season:

Vikings NFC North odds

There are no specific odds given explicitly for the Vikings' NFC North title odds, perhaps because their route to do so is so straightforward. They are currently the underdogs as the away team in the final edition of "Sunday Night Football" – the one game Minnesota must win to take home the division crown.

BetMGM has the Vikings' odds at +130 to win in Detroit in Week 18 and take the NFC North title.

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Vikings Super Bowl odds

Minnesota ranks just outside the top five in Super Bowl 59 odds entering Week 18, but its odds could improve significantly if it wins to secure the No. 1 seed and a bye.

BetMGM has the Vikings' odds set at +900 to win this year's championship. They're behind the Baltimore Ravens and Philadelphia Eagles (tied at +700) but in front of the Green Bay Packers (+1600).

How can the Vikings win the NFC North?

Minnesota's path to a second NFC North title in three years is very simple. Here's what they need in Week 18:

Vikings remaining schedule

There's just one game left on the Vikings' schedule in the regular season, and it's their most important game.

Minnesota needs a win to clinch the NFC North divisional crown and the top seed in the NFC. If the Vikings lose or tie, they'd drop four spots to the conference's No. 5 seed and face a much steeper climb to Super Bowl contention.

Here's Minnesota's remaining schedule:

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Vikings potential playoff opponents

Minnesota can either earn a first-round bye or face a road playoff game in the wild-card round depending on how its Week 18 matchup goes.

Here's who the Vikings could face in either scenario:

With Week 18 win over Lions

The Vikings would earn the No. 1 seed in the NFC and a bye through the wild-card round. In the divisional round, thanks to the NFL's dynamic playoff format, they'd face the lowest seed remaining of the following teams:

With Week 18 loss to/tie with Lions

Minnesota would drop to the NFC's No. 5 seed and hit the road for a matchup against the No. 4 seed. Here's who that could be:

  • Los Angeles Rams (could be No. 4 seed pending Week 18 outcomes)
  • NFC South winner (either Falcons or Buccaneers; could be No. 4 seed pending Week 18 outcomes)

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NFL playoff picture Week 18

Here's how the full playoff picture stacks up before the final week of the regular season:

AFC

  1. Kansas City Chiefs (15-1, AFC West winners)
  2. Buffalo Bills (13-3, AFC East winners)
  3. Baltimore Ravens (12-5, AFC North winners)
  4. Houston Texans (9-7, AFC South winners)
  5. Los Angeles Chargers (10-6, wild card No. 1)
  6. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7, wild card No. 2)
  7. Denver Broncos (9-7, wild card No. 3)

In the hunt: Cincinnati Bengals (9-8), Miami Dolphins (8-8)

NFC

  1. Detroit Lions (14-2, NFC North leaders)*
  2. Philadelphia Eagles (13-3, NFC East winners)*
  3. Los Angeles Rams (10-6, NFC West winners)*
  4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-7, NFC South leaders)
  5. Minnesota Vikings (14-2, wild card No. 1)*
  6. Washington Commanders (11-5, wild card No. 2)*
  7. Green Bay Packers (11-5, wild card No. 3)*

In the hunt: Atlanta Falcons (8-8)

An asterisk (*) denotes teams that have clinched a playoff spot. Teams that have clinched division titles are noted accordingly.

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