The Cost of Not Taking Care of Business

Well I got good news for ya. If the Packers upset the 49ers in the wildcard, the Vikings can still get that 2nd home playoff game. Go Pack Go!

So what did the Vikings cost themselves and their fans with their humiliating loss yesterday?

- #1 seed and HFA (possibly)
- #2 seed and a 2nd round home game
- the joy of ending the Packers season in front of their own fans
- guaranteeing the Packers a losing season
- national respect ... j/k
- JJ some statistical accolades
- JJ and Kirk any MVP votes
- O'Connell coach of the year consideration
- an easier trip through the playoffs
- anyone fearing them in the playoffs
- proving Reignman wrong
- proving the national media jabroni haircuts wrong
- proving Vegas wrong
- an ERATT orgasm

What did I miss?

Winning a Super Bowl is difficult enough as it is, but the Vikings seem to have this sick knack of always making it more difficult. The number of times they've pissed down their own leg with a shot at HFA or even a playoff berth, is almost incredible. If we beat this inferior team week 16, we clinch this easier path .... annnnnnnnnd we lost. Alright, time to root for this other team to .... annnnnnnnnd they lost. Alright, but if improbable things 4, 5, and 6 happen we could .... annnnnnnnnd it's gone. Well the 2007 Giants .... annnnnnnnnd we're one-and-done.

Well maybe next year is our year. We just need a new OL, draft a corner, extend Kirk, resign the geriatric fan faves, look for a new coordinator, hope Rodgers retires, trade back in the draft, blame former employee for lack of success, hope Rodgers signs with someone else, declare yourselves offseason champs, and wait until week 3 to wonder if you should finally do something about the kicking problem that has existed for 2 years.

At the very least, the loss saved Funkytown some money. Now she doesn't have to waste it on a 2nd playoff game. Instead she gets to watch the humiliating defeat at home with rest of us. Provided they don't humiliate themselves in front of her super duper wildcard weekend first.

From looking at two years of data from the current 7-team Conference format, the #3 seed has only made the divisional round once in 4 attempts - last year the Bills were the #3 seed and they beat New England in the Wild Card Round and lost at KC in the Divisional Round.

Here are the full results for the #3 seed in the current Playoff format:

2020 Season Playoffs:
AFC: #3 Pittsburgh lost to #6 Cleveland 48-37
NFC: #3 Seattle lost to #6 LA Rams 30-20

2021 Season Playoffs:
AFC: #3 Buffalo beat #6 New England 47-17
NFC: #3 Dallas lost to #6 San Francisco 23-17

- % chance of #3 seed advancing to Divisional Rd: 25%
- Avg margin of defeat for #3 seed in losses: 9 pts (2 scores)

So, in terms of the new 7-team Conference Playoff format, by virtue of the Vikings pretty much losing the #2 seed (I can't see San Francisco losing to Arizona in Wk 18), they now only have a 25% chance of advancing to the Divisional Rd. In fact, the last time a #3 seed in the previous Playoff format made the Divisional Rd was the 2017 season when then #3 seed Jacksonville defeated Buffalo 10-6 in the Wild Card Rd - that was the Bills 1st season under McDermott and they limpted into the playoffs with Tyrod Taylor, while Jacksonville had that run w/ Blake Bortles and Nathaniel Hackett as OC under HC Doug Marrone. So it's literally been 5+ yrs since a #3 seed has won on Wild Card Weekend.

If you're asking yourself, "yeah, but how has the #2 seed done?", and the answer is: the #2 seed has advanced to the Divisional Rd 100% of the time in the current playoff format. 

If you're asking yourself, "yeah, but how has the #2 seed done?", and the answer is: the #2 seed has advanced to the Divisional Rd 100% of the time in the current playoff format. 

So what did the Vikings cost themselves and their fans with their humiliating loss