When the schedule makers decided to pit the Vikings and Lions against each other in Weeks 16 and 18 of the regular season, they must’ve known that there was a chance the two NFC North powers could meet again in the first round of the playoffs.
Playing a team three times in four weeks is only possible if division foes are involved. It requires two regular season games within the last three weeks of the season and then a matchup on Wild Card weekend.
If the season ended today, the Lions would be the No. 2 seed and the Vikings would be the No. 7 seed. That right there is a date on wild-card weekend, which takes place Jan. 13-15. This could very well happen…
- Dec. 24: Lions @ Vikings
- Dec. 31: Packers @ Vikings
- Jan. 7: Vikings @ Lions
- Jan. 13-15: Vikings @ Lions
That’s gotta be unheard of in NFL history, and if it has happened it certainly hasn’t happened many times.
According to ESPN, the Lions have an 88% chance to win the NFC North. But Detroit’s chance to clinch the No. 1 seed and the first round bye that goes with it is just 12% compared to the Eagles at 49% and the 49ers at 28%.
What’s more is that ESPN’s algorithm says the most likely seed for the Lions is No. 3 while the most likely seed for the Vikings is No. 6, which again would pit the two division rivals against each other in the first round.
In 2012, the Vikings played the Packers in Week 17 and then went to Lambeau Field and got smoked in the first round of the playoffs. That was Adrian Peterson’s 2,000-yard rushing season and Minnesota had to start backup QB Joe Webb in the playoff game. But that was two games in a row against the same team, not three in four weeks.
There are a lot of moving parts and injuries could change the fortunes of each team competing for playoff positioning, but if there was ever a season where two teams were destined to meet three times in four weeks, this might be it.
