Getty The Seahawks and Vikings are fighting for a spot in the NFL playoffs.
The Seattle Seahawks and Minnesota Vikings square off tonight for more than a Monday Night Football game. The Seahawks and Vikings are both fighting for a spot in the NFL playoffs. Both teams are in similar positions in the NFC, likely needing to get one of the two Wild Card spots to make the postseason.
The Rams have already clinched the NFC West, while the Vikings are three and a half games back from the Bears in the NFC North heading into their matchup with the Seahawks.
Football Outsiders provides detailed computer projections on each NFL team’s playoff odds. Both teams sit in good position to make the playoffs heading into Week 14. The Seahawks have a 95.1 percent chance to make the playoffs, while the Vikings have a 67.3 percent chance at the postseason per Football Outsiders.
Seattle’s greatest odds favor the No. 5 seed at 74.7 percent. The Seahawks have a 20.4 percent chance to get the No. 6 seed. Since the Rams have won the NFC West, the Seahawks have no chance to get one of the top four seeds.
Minnesota’s best chance lies at the No. 6 seed at 41.6 percent. The Vikings have a 18.9 percent chance to secure the No. 5 seed. Minnesota has just a 5.4 percent chance to get the No. 3 seed and a 1.4 percent at the No. 4 seed.
Five Thirty Eight’s projections give the Seahawks a 94 percent chance to make the playoffs along with a two percent chance to win the Super Bowl. Minnesota has a 70 percent chance to make the playoffs and an 8 percent chance to win the NFC North. The Vikings also have a two percent chance to win the Super Bowl.
Prior to the Seahawks-Vikings game, here is what each team’s playoff matchup looks like if the postseason started today. The Vikings would go on the road as the No. 6 seed to face the No. 3 seeded Bears. The Seahawks would also go on the road as the No. 5 seed and face the No. 4 seeded Cowboys.
Seattle may not be in the playoffs yet, but Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll noted his team feels like it is already competing in the postseason.
“We’ve got a long way to go,” Carroll explained to MSN.com. “We’re alive. We’ve got a long way to go. Really happy to be going home – get to play at home next week…We’re already in the playoffs as far as we’re concerned. We’ve got to win every game and we’ve got to do it one game at a time.”
The Saints and Rams have already clinched a playoff spot along with their division. This leaves four more NFC playoff spots up for grabs with three weeks remaining in the NFL season.
Here’s a look at the current NFC playoff standings. Teams in bold would make the playoffs if the postseason started today. Teams in italics have already clinched a playoff spot.
NFC Playoff Standings
| TEAM | W | L | T |
| 1. New Orleans Saints | 11 | 2 | 0 |
| 2. L.A. Rams | 11 | 2 | 0 |
| 3. Chicago Bears | 9 | 4 | 0 |
| 4. Dallas Cowboys | 8 | 5 | 0 |
| 5. Seattle Seahawks | 8 | 5 | 0 |
| 6. Minnesota Vikings | 6 | 6 | 1 |
| 7. Philadelphia Eagles | 6 | 7 | 0 |
| 8. Washington Redskins | 6 | 7 | 0 |
| 9. Carolina Panthers | 6 | 7 | 0 |
| 10. Green Bay Packers | 5 | 7 | 1 |
| 11. New York Giants | 5 | 8 | 0 |
| 12. Tampa Bay Bucs | 5 | 8 | 0 |
| 13. Detroit Lions | 5 | 8 | 0 |
| 14. Atlanta Falcons | 4 | 9 | 0 |
| 15. Arizona Cardinals | 3 | 10 | 0 |
| 16. San Francisco 49ers | 3 | 10 | 0 |
NFC Playoff Matchups Based on Current Standings
No. 1 New Orleans Saints (Bye)
No. 2 Los Angeles Rams (Bye)
No. 6 Minnesota Vikings vs. No. 3 Chicago Bears
No. 5 Seattle Seahawks vs. No. 4 Dallas Cowboys