The Vikings’ playoff positioning, tiebreakers, and Week 16 rooting guide:
The Minnesota Vikings are eyeing a playoff spot, and their seeding depends on a combination of their performance and the outcomes of other games. To secure a higher seeding, the Vikings need to focus on winning their remaining matchups and may also need help from other teams to move up in the standings. Tiebreakers will come into play if the Vikings finish the regular season tied with another team for a playoff spot, and understanding these tiebreaker rules—such as head-to-head results, divisional records, and conference performance—will be crucial. In Week 16, the Vikings’ fans should keep an eye on specific games where the results could impact the Vikings’ positioning, with certain wins and losses by other teams influencing Minnesota’s playoff hopes.
The Vikings are focused on securing their eighth consecutive win as they travel to Seattle, where they are 3-point favorites against a Seahawks team ranked 18th in DVOA. Although Seattle has been inconsistent this season, Geno Smith is healthy, and there are playmakers on both sides of the ball that could pose challenges for Minnesota. A loss, paired with a win by either the Lions or Eagles, would make it difficult for the Vikings to finish ahead of that team in the standings.
In the Lions vs. Bears game, Chicago could potentially help the Vikings by ending its eight-game losing streak. While this outcome seems unlikely, the Bears are only 6.5-point underdogs at home, making it a possibility. Chicago managed to stay competitive with Detroit during their Thanksgiving game at Ford Field, and with Detroit’s injury problems worsening since then, there is still a glimmer of hope. Jared Goff’s struggles at Soldier Field add another reason for the Bears to possibly pull off the upset.
This is a crucial matchup. Philadelphia wraps up the season with home games against the Cowboys and Giants, both of whom the Eagles have dominated on the road by a combined score of 62-9. Therefore, this game presents Washington with their best chance to hand Philadelphia a loss. In their previous meeting in mid-November, the Eagles won 26-18. Jayden Daniels and the 9-5 Commanders are fighting to secure a playoff spot, and as 3.5-point home underdogs, they have a legitimate opportunity to pull off an upset if they perform well.
These games are important for the Vikings’ strength of victory tiebreaker with the Eagles, which involves cheering for teams the Vikings have defeated and against teams the Eagles have beaten. Five of these matchups are worth two points in the tiebreaker race, while the Texans-Chiefs and 49ers-Dolphins games are worth only one point each.
For example, if the Falcons defeat the Giants, the Vikings will gain one point in the tiebreaker because they beat Atlanta, and the Eagles lost to them. On the other hand, if the Giants win, the Eagles will gain a point since they’ve beaten the Giants twice, while the Vikings only have one win over them. This creates a two-win swing. While it may seem complicated, the key takeaway is that the Vikings should root for the teams in bold above, and the good news is that most of those teams are favored to win.
