4 Teams for Vikings Fans to Root for in the Playoffs
Josh Frey
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Obviously, the Minnesota Vikings aren’t going to be competing for a Super Bowl this season.
They were eliminated from the playoffs following their Week 18 loss to the Detroit Lions, but that doesn’t mean Vikings fans can’t enjoy all the great playoff football that will begin this weekend. Here is a look at four teams whose bandwagons Vikings fans can jump aboard for the next month.
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are the epitome of what is possible when a team nails a draft pick at the quarterback position. C.J. Stroud has been nothing short of spectacular as he’s led the Texans to an AFC South title just one season after the team selected him second overall in the 2023 NFL Draft.
The Vikings now find themselves in a similar position heading into the 2024 offseason with Kirk Cousins entering free agency, and regardless of if Minnesota brings back the veteran in his age-36 season, it’s time to start thinking about life after Cousins. If Houston can make a run in the playoffs with their rookie, it will provide hope that the Vikings can do something similar with whoever their next young QB is.
Los Angeles Rams/Dallas Cowboys
We’re lumping the Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Rams together for one reason and one reason only: they are playing the Vikings’ division rivals this weekend. Detroit’s rise this season is a cool story, but at the end of the day, it’s going to be tough to talk any Vikings fans into rooting for them or Green Bay this weekend.
The Cowboys are playing host to the Green Bay Packers, who embarrassed Minnesota in U.S. Bank Stadium during Week 17. Meanwhile, the Rams will be traveling to Detroit to take on the Lions, and Matthew Stafford will play his first game in Detroit as an opponent.
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings land on the same painful side of NFL history. Each franchise has four Super Bowl appearances and zero victories. If the Bills can break through and win one, then the same is possible for what has often been a cursed Vikings franchise.
Buffalo begins their playoff run by hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers as the No. 2 seed despite everything they went through during the early portions of the season.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.