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On Sunday afternoon, the Minnesota Vikings will face one of their toughest tests of the 2018 season as they travel to Foxborough to take on the defending AFC Champions, the New England Patriots.
The Vikings are coming off of a pair of divisional contests that they split with the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers in prime time. At 6-4-1, they are currently sitting in the top Wild Card spot in the NFC, but their grip on the spot is precarious. A victory over New England might not help much in the conference standings, but it would boose their overall record and provide a solid emotional lift going into the final quarter of the season.
The Patriots, as always, are in the mix in the AFC. If the postseason were to start this weekend, the Patriots would once again be looking at a first-round bye as the #2 seed in the AFC. They’ve dealt with injuries and rumors of Tom Brady’s play being on the downswing, but they just keep chugging along as one of the NFL’s elite teams.
The last time the Vikings beat the Patriots in Foxborough was in the pre-Tom Brady era in 2000. A victory over them on Sunday would provide a huge boost for the rest of their season. Can they get the job done?