NFL playoff race: Vikings host Packers in potential NFC postseason preview
Game of the week
Green Bay Packers (11-4) vs. Minnesota Vikings (13-2)
The scheduling gods have flexed their muscles and pushed another potential postseason warmup into the favored late afternoon slot. We’ll have a late celebration in Green Bay on the way to Minnesota, in favor of a damp squib between Philadelphia and Dallas, for what could turn out to be the NFC Championship Game. The Packers are fresh off securing their playoff spot with a thrashing of the Saints, while the Vikings are chasing an incredible ninth straight win. Unfortunately for Matt LaFleur’s team, they can’t get higher than third place in the NFC North as the Lions are also 13-2, but this provides a perfect opportunity to practice playing on the road against a rival from high caliber. Minnesota, meanwhile, is neck and neck with Detroit for the No. 1 seed and will be aiming for a crucial win — one that could set up a first-round shootout against the Lions next week.
What the Packers need to do to win: Green Bay’s offensive line needs to win in the trenches to keep Josh Jacobs rumbling. After a slow start to the season, the running back has emerged as a key pillar of the offense with 12 touchdowns in his past 10 games. But it will have to come from the big men dominating, as Jacobs alone won’t be able to overcome a Vikings defense that has given up just seven rushing touchdowns all season — the fewest in the NFL — and the second fewest total yards of 1,306. Luckily, his linemen should be pumped up to keep the lanes open after Jacobs, fourth in the NFL in total rushing yards with 1,216, gave them all custom diamond necklaces for Christmas. One good turn deserves another.
What the Vikings need to do to win: Brian Flores’ pass rush should put pressure on Jordan Love. The Packers have struggled against the best the league has to offer, with their only losses coming against the Eagles, Vikings and Lions home and away. And they’ll need a vintage display from their quarterback to avoid getting swept away by Minnesota’s mean defense. The Vikings, who have the fifth-most sacks in the NFL with 44, have the pass rush to force the second-year quarterback into costly mistakes. Andrew Van Ginkel won the NFC’s Best Defensive Player award last week when he sacked Geno Smith twice. Under defensive coordinator Flores, Minnesota is one of the most aggressive units in football. The defense leads the league in blitzing at 36.1%, is fifth in quarterback hits at 99 and third in rushing percentage at 9.3%. If the Vikings can knock Love off his perch with regularity, his counterpart, Sam Darnold, should have plenty of opportunities to run up the score with Justin Jefferson, the NFL’s second-best receiver, to destroy the Packers secondary.
Rising: Jayden Daniels
Washington’s season reached a new high last week by toppling the Philadelphia Eagles’ injury blow. The young quarterback’s Commanders trailed by two scores with five minutes to play as he carried them from 27-14 to a thrilling 36-33 win. Daniels managed to overcome a sloppy defensive performance and five turnovers, two of which were interceptions as part of his own first-half struggles. The result of such a Herculean effort will be a reinforcement of the belief of Dan Quinn and the Commanders in general that if they clean up the mental mistakes, this team can continue to beat the odds and make a mark in the playoffs .
The NFC East title can still be claimed if Philadelphia loses and Washington wins, while one more win for the Commanders seals their spot in the postseason either way. As it stands, they would have a nail-biting series decider in the first round against the Eagles, a game they would certainly fancy their chances in after Daniels’ heroics, but not before the defense faces a serious test against the Atlanta Falcons . Quarterback Michael Penix Jr will follow up his impressive debut with another strong performance, so it’s up to Washington’s head coach to inspire his men against the rookie. No team will want to face Washington if Quinn can make the team play the whole game on Sunday like they did in the last five against the Eagles.
Fall: Pittsburgh Steelers
The idea that the Pittsburgh offense could be revived when George Pickens returns from injury may be officially retracted. The Steelers needed a fast start against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, but instead found themselves on the back foot on the first three drives. A porous offensive line put constant pressure on Russell Wilson as he refused to throw the ball away, leading to two driving end sacks. To make matters worse, while trailing 13-0, Wilson threw a terrible pick with the Steelers in the red zone. You can’t make such fundamental mistakes, as the team, and more specifically Wilson, has done in each of their three straight losses, and expect to bounce back from Mike Tomlin’s stellar defense regardless of production. Now all the Ravens have to do is topple the sagging Cleveland Browns to win the AFC North. A sixth straight playoff game without a win beckons unless Tomlin gives Justin Fields another chance at quarterback.
Race for No. 1 draft pick
The 2-13 New York Giants have secured a solo share for the top draft pick of 2025 with two games remaining against the Indianapolis Colts and Eagles. The former still have a slim chance of making the playoffs and the latter, even without Jalen Hurts and any rested starters, should still be cruising, so it feels safe to say the bumbling Giants are in for a franchise reset before next season have a quarterback.
Elsewhere, the runners and runners for the second overall pick are New England, Tennessee, Cleveland, Jacksonville and Las Vegas, but who remains in the running for second? One is sure to rise when Tennessee and Jacksonville face off, after which the Raiders can be quietly confident they will earn a first straight win since Christmas Day last year against the bereft New Orleans Saints. Cleveland should face another losing day as they face a Miami team that still has a slim chance of making the postseason, while the Los Angeles Chargers will be hungry to build some momentum heading into the playoffs with a dominant victory over the New England Patriots.