Who should the Vikings fear? Packers, Redskins or Seahawks?

Grading the NFC field

December 28, 2015 at 7:16PM
Vikings cornerback Captain Munnerlyn (24) was congratulated by his teammates after he intercepted a pass in the third quarter and returned it 32 yards to the Giants 4-yard line Sunday night.
Vikings cornerback Captain Munnerlyn (24) was congratulated by his teammates after he intercepted a pass in the third quarter and returned it 32 yards to the Giants 4-yard line Sunday night. (Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Who should the Vikings fear in the playoffs?

After what happened on Sunday, I have no idea.

The Packers? While playing in two straight games at Lambeau does not sound enticing, the Packers are a damaged, vulnerable team. The right question might be: Can the Packers beat this Vikings team twice in eight days?

Washington? Just because the NFC East has been a punchline all season doesn't mean the division champs are right now. With DeSean Jackson, Pierre Garcon and Jordan Reed, and a surprisingly accurate Kirk Cousins, Washington has a dynamic deep passing game. Which is interesting since, with Alfred Morris and Matt Jones, Washington was supposed to be a strong running team this season.

The Seahawks? Two days ago I would have said they were the scariest team in the league. But they couldn't run the ball or pass block against St. Louis.

I would argue that at the moment the Vikings' best matchup would be at home against Seattle. It would be at home, and the Vikings would have plenty of incentive to beat the Seahawks after being embarrassed by them in November.

The Vikings should be able to stop Seattle's running game, and if they could limit big plays to Doug Baldwin and Tyler Lockett, they should have enough offense to win.

Check back next Monday for a completely different scenario, and a completely different set of guesses.

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Stop by Tom Reid's Hockey Pub today (Monday) at 4 p.m. for the Russo-Souhan Show with Strib hockey writer Michael Russo. Prizes. Live questions. Mom gossip. From MalePatternPodcasts.com.

Shows with Roy Smalley, Jon Krawczynski, Viking Update's Tim Yotter and a special Packers guest will be up later this week.

@Souhanstrib

about the writer

about the writer

Jim Souhan

Columnist

Jim Souhan is a sports columnist for the Minnesota Star Tribune. He has worked at the paper since 1990, previously covering the Twins and Vikings.

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