Minnesota Vikings: What’s on the line vs. Packers in Week 16?
As the Minnesota Vikings host the Packers in a crucial Week 16 contest, what’s actually on the line for the home team on Monday night?
The Minnesota Vikings come into the second-to-last week of the 2019 NFL season with a lot riding on a matchup against one of their biggest rivals. The Vikings welcome the Green Bay Packers to U.S. Bank Stadium for Monday Night Football in a game that holds high importance for both Minnesota and Green Bay, as well as the rest of the NFC.
But what exactly is on the line for Minnesota going into the matchup, particularly in regards to the playoff seeding and standings in the NFC?
The Vikings enter Week 16 riding a two-game winning streak with an overall record of 10-4 up to this point in the regular season. Minnesota trails only Green Bay (11-3 overall) for first place in the NFC North division while remaining ahead of the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions in the standings.
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A win over the Packers on Monday night would be a huge accomplishment for the Vikings as they gear up for a run in the postseason. A victory at home in Week 16 would push Minnesota and Green Bay into a tie for first place in the NFC North (the Packers currently hold the tiebreaker) going into the regular-season finale in Week 17.
Not only would a win be big for the Vikings in terms of them trying to still claim the division title — granted they would need to win out and the Packers would have to lose out in the final two games — but Minnesota could also potentially still move up in the NFC playoff picture.
The Vikings currently hold onto the second Wild Card spot in the NFC, trailing the Seattle Seahawks for the top Wild Card spot in the conference. If Minnesota were to win on Monday Night Football against Green Bay, it would be in a position to maybe even move up as high as the No. 5 seed (the top Wild Card spot).
While the Vikings have already wrapped up a playoff spot, they need to win their final two games to finish with an overall record of 12-4 to move up to the top Wild Card spot going into the NFC Playoffs.
If Minnesota is able to win out, even if they don’t claim the NFC North title, it would ride into the postseason as the top NFC Wild Card team and would travel to either Philadelphia or Dallas in the opening round of the playoffs in just a few short weeks.
Whenever the Vikings and Packers square off during the regular season or throughout the year, it’s a matchup that is fun to watch and always holds high importance for the teams standing on both sidelines.
Minnesota, which is a perfect 6-0 at home at U.S. Bank Stadium this year and will go into the game as favorites over one of its division rivals, has a lot riding on the Week 16 contest against Green Bay on the big stage of Monday Night Football.
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A win for the Vikings over the Packers would be big for the purple and gold regardless, but this would perhaps be one of their biggest wins of the 2019 campaign and would put them in a position to try and claim a more favorable spot in the NFC Playoffs before postseason play begins.