As soon as next Sunday, the Vikings could win their first NFC North title of 2017.
With Green Bay losing 40-33 at Philadelphia on Sunday night, the Vikings (9-2) would lose if they beat the New York Jets at US Bank Stadium and the Detroit Lions (4-7) lose at home to Jacksonville . They would also win with a tie and a Detroit loss or a win and a tie with the Lions.
The Packers play at Chicago next Sunday and would be eliminated from the NFC North that day with a Minnesota loss or win. If the Vikings fall short next Sunday, they would wrap up the division with a win on Dec. 11 in Detroit.
With the Eagles (10-1) win, the Vikings remain one game behind them for the top seed in the NFC playoff race and a first-round bye, but Philadelphia holds the tiebreaker thanks to a 24-7 win on Sept. 19. If Dallas (8-3) were to overtake the Eagles to win the NFC East and have the same record as the Vikings, the Cowboys would clinch a tiebreaker thanks to a 40-3 victory on Nov. 20.
The Vikings have a two-game lead over NFC West leader San Francisco (7-4) for the No. 1 seed. However, if the 49ers, who are currently the No. 3 seed, earn a tie with Minnesota for the No. 2 seed if they end up in a tie because of a better conference record.
If the playoffs started now, the Vikings, as the No. 2, would open at home against no. 7 Washington (7-5). They defeated the Commanders 20-17 on the road on November 6th.
