Minnesota Vikings Clinch Playoff Spot With Win Over Green Bay Packers Or Los Angeles Rams' Loss

Week 16 can go any number of different ways for the Minnesota Vikings. The team can clinch a playoff berth nearly 48 hours before their next game even kicks off. There’s also a chance that Minnesota will be eliminated from the NFC North race and still looking to secure a wild-card spot in the season finale.

It all starts Saturday night when the Los Angeles Rams visit the San Francisco 49ers. L.A. is eliminated from contention with a loss or a tie at Levi’s Stadium. Doing so would guarantee Minnesota the NFC’s No.6 seed, at worst.

The Rams would keep their playoff hopes alive with a victory. The Vikings could eliminate Los Angeles by defeating the Green Bay Packers Monday night. A tie in primetime would do the job, as well.

Minnesota is two games ahead of Los Angeles in the wild-card race. The Vikings are a game behind the Packers in the NFC North. Green Bay owns the tiebreaker in the division.

Green Bay can clinch the NFC North title with a victory. A Rams’ victory and a Vikings’ loss would create a two-team race for the conference’s No.6 seed in Week 17.

Los Angeles hosts the Arizona Cardinals in the final game of the season. Minnesota will welcome the Chicago Bears into U.S. Bank Stadium. The Rams have already beaten the Cardinals. The Bears beat the Vikings in Week 4.

If the Rams and Vikings finish the season with the same record, Los Angeles will win the tiebreaker. Los Angeles would have an 8-4 conference record in that scenario. Minnesota would be 7-5 against NFC teams.

Los Angeles might miss the playoffs and still end up with a better record than the NFC East winner. The Rams are a game ahead of the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles, though Los Angeles was blown out by Dallas in Week 15.

The New England Patriots defeated the Rams in last season’s Super Bowl. Los Angeles has made the playoffs in each of Sean McVay’s first two years as the team’s head coach.

With eight wins in their last 10 games, the Vikings are only a game behind the Packers, 49ers, Seattle Seahawks and New Orleans Saints, all of whom are fighting for the No.1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.