The scenarios have been playing out on paper since the first-place Detroit Lions dropped a home game to the Buffalo Bills in Week 15.
Win out, and the Minnesota Vikings would enter Week 18 in control of their own destiny for both the NFC’s No. 1 playoff seed and first-round bye.
We have arrived.
Although it got a little too close for comfort at the end, the Vikings handled the division rival Green Bay Packers, 27-25, Sunday night at U.S. Bank Stadium to win their ninth straight game and improve to 14-2. That means, regardless of what happens on Monday Night Football between the Lions and San Francisco 49ers, Minnesota’s Week 18 game with Detroit at Ford Field will be for all the marbles: The winner wins the NFC North title and will be the No. 1 seed in the playoffs; the loser drops to the No. 5 seed and heads on the road as the top wild-card qualifier.
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The game is so massive that it was flexed to Sunday Night Football, now kicking off at 7:20 p.m. CST on NBC.
The Lions have spent the majority of the season in the pole position among NFC teams, but their roster has been decimated by injuries to high-impact players. Pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson and running back David Montgomery headline a list of now more than 20 players currently placed on injured reserve.
The Vikings, meanwhile, are as healthy as they’ve been all season, with left tackle Cam Robinson doing an admirable job in place of the injured Christian Darrisaw. Head coach Kevin O’Connell and QB Sam Darnold have the offense humming, and Brian Flores’ defense had the explosive Packers completely locked down for three quarters on Sunday night.
Where do these two NFC powerhouses belong in Monday morning power rankings? Do the Vikings have the edge entering one of the franchise’s biggest regular-season games in recent memory?
Here’s what the experts are saying ahead of this week’s showdown on Sunday Night Football:
NFL power rankings Week 18: Minnesota Vikings
- Vinnie Iyer, The Sporting News: No. 4 (no change)
Iyer: "The Vikings are sizzling after nine straight victories, with their offense and defense adding up to dominant football. They just need to cut down on mistakes that make games a little too close.”
— No. 1 Kansas City Chiefs, No. 2 Buffalo Bills, No. 3 Detroit Lions
- Jeremy Cluff, Arizona Republic: No. 4 (no change)
Cluff: "The Vikings have now won nine games in a row, setting up a huge game against the Detroit Lions in NFL Week 18.”
— No. 1 Kansas City Chiefs, No. 2 Buffalo Bills, No. 3 Detroit Lions
- Matt Johnson, Sportsnaut: No. 2 (down 1 spot)
Johnson: "The Minnesota Vikings are the best team in the NFC. Our biggest concern was what would happen to this offense after it lost Christian Darrisaw, but it hasn’t lost a beat. Sam Darnold is playing at an MVP-caliber level and an elite supporting cast makes this offense incredibly difficult to contain. Pair that with a top-two defense and you have a club that can beat anyone. It’s certainly a different story if the Lions are healthy, but Minnesota is the better football team as of now.”
— No. 1 Kansas City Chiefs
- Sayre Bedinger, NFL Spin Zone: No. 3 (down 1 spot)
Bedinger: “The Minnesota Vikings are closer to the best team in the NFL than we have seen in the franchise’s history, and I don’t think you can deny that Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell is the NFL Coach of the Year at this point. After what we saw on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers, even with how close it was at the end, the Vikings came through and the one thing they have done exceptionally well under O’Connell is find a way to close out one-score games. They get the job done. Sam Darnold is playing at such a high level, and the Vikings have a defense that has come through with big plays for them all year. They might have the best collection of weapons in the entire NFL and a coach who understands how to exploit defenses with every single one of them, including even guys like Jalen Nailor when teams focus in on Justin Jefferson. The Vikings look poised to go and steal the #1 seed in the NFC from the Lions, but can you imagine facing off against this team in the 1st round as a Wild Card somehow? It’s not a great “pick your poison” for whoever is the 4th seed to have to face the Vikings or Lions.”
— No. 1 Kansas City Chiefs, No. 2 Buffalo Bills
- Taylor Wirth, NBC Sports: No. 3 (no change)
Wirth: "Sam Darnold didn’t turn back into a pumpkin as many, including myself, thought he would after a hot start to the season. Either his magical season has a storybook ending, or he waits until the playoffs to do so. Next week against Detroit will be a movie.”
— No. 1 Detroit Lions, No. 2 Kansas City Chiefs
Consensus ranking: No. 3
