Even Without Stakes, the Vikings’ Finale Is Worth Watching
On Sunday, the Minnesota Vikings will host the Green Bay Packers in the Week 18 season finale. Green Bay is locked in the 7th seed of the NFC playoff picture and the Vikings cannot reach the postseason. It will be a glorified preseason game, so why would anyone tune in? Well, there are five reasons.
1. Justin Jefferson Streak
Everyone knows Justin Jefferson is the face of the franchise, and he’s certainly one of the (maybe even number one) top wideouts in football. His receiving statistics this season have lacked that type of explosiveness, however. He’s currently sitting at 76 catches for 947 yards and a couple of scores.
Jefferson has reached 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first five seasons and wants to keep that prestigious streak alive. Only Randy Moss and Mike Evans eclipsed that mark in all of their first six seasons.
Minnesota’s WR1 has been the ultimate pro despite the losing effort and subpar quarterback play. He doesn’t act like a diva, he doesn’t talk like a diva and takes his captain role extremely seriously. It’s easy to root for him and making sure his streak stays alive is worth a watch. The Vikings will likely force-feed him with targets.
2. Avoid the Sweep
Kevin O’Connell’s operation went 1-1 against Green Bay in 2022 and 2023, then swept the green rivals in 2024. This year, Matt LaFleur’s Packers could return the favor and sweep the Vikings.
The last time the Packers clinched a season series against the Vikings was in 2019, when new Packers defender Za’Darius Smith was hounding Kirk Cousins. Prior to that, the Mike Zimmer Vikings were swept in his first season in charge in 2014.
The game might be meaningless, but division rivals are about pride and getting swept is unacceptable.
3. Young QB With Something to Prove
You might not see the Vikings fight for playoff chances, but you will for sure see a young quarterback with a chip on his shoulder.
J.J. McCarthy is still dealing with his hand injury, but O’Connell has not closed the door. He might get another shot to prove that he should remain the QB1 beyond 2025 after playing fairly well in his last three games.
If he can’t go, Max Brosmer is the next guy on the depth chart. His first two performances were disastrously bad. He could move the ball against the Seahawks or the Lions and only a historic defensive show allowed the Vikings to secure a win on Christmas. It’s not too early to question his NFL future, given how bad he played in those two starts and he surely wants to show that he can play.
4. Possible Harrison Smith Farewell
Safety Harrison Smith was a big reason why the Vikings swept the Lions despite abysmal offensive production. The future Ring of Honor inductee turned back the clock for a vintage game.
The contest against Green Bay could be the final one of his illustrious career. It will be his 215th Vikings game (including playoffs). He has given blood, sweat, and tears over the years and deserves a proper send-off, if he indeed decided to call it a career.
Enjoy number 22 roaming the secondary, maybe for a final time.
5. There Won’t Be Another One for Over 8 Months
As much as the Vikings are annoying at times and can test our patience, we all love to be along for the ride. Sunday will be our last chance to watch the Vikings play for more than eight months and one thing is clear: We will miss watching them on a weekly basis.
In a few months, we will treat OTA clips like the Super Bowl and rewind practice reps against air several times.
The roster will change, the coaching staff will change. Players we love will ride into the sunset or change teams. It’ll be our last shot to watch some of our heroes do the thing.
This version of the Vikings — flawed, frustrating, and occasionally promising — only exists one more time. Meaningless in the standings or not, it’s the last chance to watch football that actually counts for more than eight months, and that alone makes it worth tuning in.