MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Vikings had a pretty good Sunday, despite not playing a single snap.
The Detroit Lions lost to the Buffalo Bills, and the Green Bay Packers defeated the Seattle Seahawks to punch Minnesota's ticket to the postseason.
While the Vikings (11-2) are playoff-bound for the second time in three seasons, there's still much more at play.
Here's a look at a few potential playoff scenarios for Minnesota entering the final month of the regular season:
No. 1 seed (home-field advantage/first-round bye)
With the Lions' loss on Sunday, the Vikings now control their own destiny in the NFC North. However, winning out might not necessarily clinch the No. 1 seed in the NFC since the Eagles (12-2) could still win out and finish with the same record. Should that occur, the tiebreaker would go to strength-of-victory (combined record of all the teams that the team has defeated), since both teams would be 5-1 against common opponents and 10-2 in the conference.
Strength-of-victory would come down to how some of the two teams' opponents finish out their schedules to determine which team defeated the tougher opponents. The Vikings seemingly would have the inside track with a win over the Lions and two wins over the Packers, who are also knocking on the door of a postseason spot.
If the Vikings stumble and lose a game, they could still claim the top seed in the NFC and an NFC North title. However, the Lions and Eagles would need to lose at least once more, and Minnesota's loss almost certainly couldn't come against Detroit.
Minnesota's remaining schedule includes a home game against Chicago (4-9), a road game against the Seahawks (8-6), at home against the Packers (10-4) and a regular-season finale in Detroit (12-2).
Detroit's final slate includes road games against Chicago (4-9) and San Francisco (6-8) before hosting Minnesota (11-2) on Jan. 5.
The Eagles will round out the season on the road against Washington (9-5), and home games against Dallas (6-8) and Giants (2-12).
The Vikings have the toughest remaining schedule of the three, having to play two playoff contenders (Seattle and Green Bay) and one team that's already clinched a playoff spot (Detroit) in the final three weeks.
NFC North title
The division could very well come down to the final game of the regular season with both the Vikings and the Lions currently having a pair of losses on their records. Should Minnesota win its final four games, which would include a victory over Detroit, it would claim its second NFC North crown in three years.
However, if both teams win up to the regular-season finale, and the Vikings tie the Lions, Detroit would capture the title because it defeated Minnesota back on Oct. 20. If Minnesota loses a game prior to the regular-season finale, the Lions would also have to lose to either Chicago or San Francisco for Minnesota to still have a shot on Jan. 5.
If Detroit loses to either Chicago or San Francisco but beats Minnesota in the finale, the Lions would win the title. Despite both teams finishing with a 14-3 record, Detroit would hold the tiebreaker with two wins over Minnesota. Whoever wins the North will host at least two playoff games because of where the leaders of the NFC South and NFC West currently stand.
Wild card
The Vikings currently hold the top wild-card spot in the postseason, but could still fall as far as No. 7 should some teams continue to win and Minnesota end on a losing streak. The closest wild-card opponent right now is Green Bay, which makes the showdown between the two teams on Dec. 29 that much more important.
Green Bay (10-4) lost to Minnesota earlier this season, so the Vikings currently hold the tiebreaker, but if the Packers can come out of U.S. Bank Stadium as winners, it will put some pressure on Minnesota for the No. 5 spot.
The next closest wild-card team is Washington (9-5), which can still get to 12 wins if it wins out. Los Angeles and Seattle each have an 8-6 record and are vying for the NFC West, so if one slips into a wild-card spot, it could have implications as to where the Vikings would sit. Minnesota has already lost to the Rams and will play the Seahawks next week in Seattle, so those head-to-head outcomes could also have an impact.
There's still plenty to be decided in the final month of the regular season, but the Vikings have the luxury of knowing they're in the playoffs no matter what happens. The easiest way for Minnesota to improve its postseason position is to win and continue to put pressure on Detroit and Philadelphia. If the Vikings can continue to take care of business, starting Monday night against Chicago, they'll be in line to at least host a couple of games in the postseason.
