Minnesota Vikings can give the Detroit Lions a giant lump of coal for Christmas in their Week 17 matchup
The Minnesota Vikings may not have the playoffs to play for on Thursday afternoon, but they can certainly ruin Christmas Day for the Detroit Lions.
The Minnesota Vikings have a chance to do something very satisfying for the fanbase this Thursday on Christmas Day when they face the Detroit Lions.
Sunday afternoon saw the Vikings defeat the New York Giants 16-13 in one of the ugliest games we’ve seen the team play in ages. It also saw quarterback J.J. McCarthy suffer his fifth injury during his Vikings tenure when he left the game with a hand injury. On the other side, the Lions lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers 29-24 in one of the more dramatic finishes you will ever see.
These results make Thursday’s game a little bit more interesting.
Vikings can get revenge by knocking the Lions out of the playoffs
Last year, the Vikings and Lions faced off in Week 18 with the NFC North on the line on Sunday Night Football. The Lions won the game 31-9, knocking the Vikings down to the fifth seed, and they ended up losing to the Los Angeles Rams in the wild-card round.
Now, the Vikings don’t have anything to play for regarding the playoffs, but the Lions do. They need to win out with some help from the Green Bay Packers, who have lost their last two games, to make the playoffs. A simple Vikings victory will give them some sweet revenge for what happened last year, but it will be bittersweet, as it will give the Packers the final wild-card spot in the NFC.
A loss could help the Vikings in 2026
Now, knocking a division rival out of the playoffs would give the Vikings and their fanbase a great feeling, and winning is always good. Even so, the Vikings can benefit from losing on Thursday afternoon.
A loss would guarantee that the Vikings finish fourth in the NFC North. That will give them a fourth-place schedule. Now, a fourth-place schedule doesn’t give you much benefit, but the Vikings lost all three games that were decided by last season’s second-place finish against the Atlanta Falcons, Los Angeles Chargers, and Seattle Seahawks.
Each year, teams have three games determined by their finish in the division. In the 2026 season, the Vikings will have home games against the AFC South and NFC East, while they will play on the road against the NFC West. Here is what those could look like with a third and fourth-place finish.
| Finish | NFC East | NFC West | AFC South |
| 3rd | Washington Commanders | San Francisco 49ers | Indianapolis Colts |
| 4th | New York Giants | Arizona Cardinals | Tennessee Titans |
Those three games are a small sample of the schedule, but they could be vital to a return to the playoffs. Winning all three games this year would put the Vikings in line to make the playoffs and potentially win the NFC North with two wins and a Chicago Bears loss.
Thursday holds significant meaning for both teams, and it’s not just about Santa Claus.
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