The first round of the NFL playoffs, six games played over three days, concludes with the Vikings (14-3) facing the Los Angeles Rams (10-7) on Monday night at 7 p.m. Central time.
Who will the Vikings play if they beat the Rams on Monday night?
Beat the Rams in Arizona, and the Vikings will book a trip to Philadelphia to face the Eagles.
Here’s what you need to know about the Vikings in the playoffs:
Where is the game?
The Rams are the home team, as the No. 4 seed and NFC West champion, against the wild-card, fifth-seeded Vikings. But the game had to be moved from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., to State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., outside of Phoenix because of wildfires in the Los Angeles area.
How do we watch?
The game will be televised on ABC and ESPN with the “Monday Night Football” team of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman in the booth. The game will be streamed on ESPN+. The ManningCast, with Peyton and Eli Manning and special guests (including former Vikings pass rusher Jared Allen), will be available on ESPN2 and ESPN+.
Who will the Vikings play in the next round if they win?
After beating the Vikings last Sunday for secure the NFC’s No. 1 seed and first-round bye, Lions coach Dan Campbell told Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell, “See you in two weeks.” But the Vikings will not be going back to Detroit if they beat the Rams.
The Vikings would play the Eagles in Philadelphia at 2 p.m. Central time on Sunday (NBC, Peacock). The second-seeded Eagles defeated the seventh-seeded Packers 22-10 on Sunday to book their spot in the divisional round.
Because the NFL re-seeds after each round of the playoffs, the top-seeded Lions will host the lowest remaining NFC seed after wild-card weekend. That team is the sixth-seeded Washington Commanders, who beat the No. 3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-20 on a last-second field goal on Sunday night.
What is the Vikings' history against the Eagles?
Hide your eyes, Vikings fans. Minnesota is 0-4 against the Eagles in the playoffs, including 0-3 in Philly. Most famously, the Vikings were blown out 38-7 there a week after the Minneapolis Miracle in the 2017 season, spoiling a chance to play in the Super Bowl at U.S. Bank Stadium. None of the Vikings' games vs. the Eagles in the playoffs have been particularly close.
- Jan. 3, 1981: Eagles 31, Vikings 16 at Veterans Stadium
- Jan. 16, 2005: Eagles 27, Vikings 14 at Lincoln Financial Field
- Jan. 4, 2009: Eagles 26, Vikings 14 at the Metrodome
- Jan. 21, 2018, Eagles 38, Vikings 7 at Lincoln Financial Field
The Vikings are 15-16 against the Eagles overall, dating back to 1962.
Did the Vikings play the Eagles this season?
Technically, yes. The Vikings beat the Eagles 26-3 on the road in their preseason finale on Aug. 24 in what turned out to be Jaren Hall’s last game with the team.
O’Connell is 0-2 against Eagles coach Nick Sirianni in the regular season, losing 24-7 in 2022 and 34-28 in 2023. Both games were in Philadelphia.
What else should we know about the Eagles?
Philadelphia won the NFC East with a 14-3 record. While the Vikings reeled off nine straight wins this season, the Eagles did them one better, with 10. Their losses came in Week 2 vs. Atlanta 22-21, Week 4 at Tampa Bay 33-16, and Week 16 at Washington 36-33. QB Jalen Hurts was knocked out of the Week 16 loss in the first quarter with a concussion, which he returned from against the Packers on Sunday.
The Eagles are led by running back Saquon Barkley, an MVP contender in his first season in Philly after leaving the rival Giants. He led the NFL with 2,005 rushing yards and had 119 yards Sunday against Green Bay.
Under coordinator Vic Fangio, Philadelphia also has the NFL’s best defense in total yards allowed (278.4 per game, the only team under 300 yards) and passing yards allowed (174.2), and is No. 2 in points allowed (17.8). Starting linebacker Nakobe Dean, second on the team in tackles with 128, is likely to miss the rest of the playoffs with a knee injury sustained vs. Green Bay.
When did the Vikings last win a playoff game?
Jan. 5, 2020, when they defeated the Saints in New Orleans 26-20 in overtime in the wild-card round. Before that, the last time the Vikings won a wild-card game was Jan. 9, 2005, a 31-17 victory over the Packers in Green Bay. The Vikings are 7-8 in their history in the wild-card round, and 21-31 overall in the postseason.
When is the Super Bowl?
Super Bowl LIX is at 5:30 p.m. Central time on Feb. 9 in New Orleans at the Caesars Superdome. The game will be broadcast by Fox.
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