The NFL playoffs are just over a week away. However, before we get to that, there is still a lot that could happen in Week 18 that could have a major effect on the New York Giants and other teams. For the Giants Wild Card game — the franchise’s first since 2016 — we know they will be on the road as the No. 6 seed in the NFC. The Giants playoffs matchup isn’t set in stone yet, though. There are several Giants playoff scenarios that could play out in Week 18 depending on how other teams fare. So with that in mind, here are the best and worst-case scenarios for the Giants’ Wild Card round opponent.

Best case: Giants at Minnesota Vikings

Most of the Giants playoff scenarios right now end with the G-Men going to the Midwest to take on the Minnesota Vikings. This should be music to Giants fans’ ears because this is the best-case scenario for the Giants' playoff hopes. There are several reasons this is the case.

First, we all know exactly what this game looks like because the two teams played just two weeks ago on Christmas Eve. That game will give the Giants plenty of hope. For those who need a refresher, New York went down 10-0 early, then tied it up. The Vikings jumped out again, 24-16, and the Giants came storming back to tie it again. It then ultimately took a last-second, 61-yard Greg Joseph field goal to get the Vikings a narrow three-point win.

The Giants now unequivocally know that they can hang with — and even possibly beat — the Vikings, and that confidence would be huge heading into the Giants Wild Card matchup.

Secondly, that game was emblematic of the Vikings' 2022 season. The NFC North champs are loaded with talent. However, they are notorious this year for letting teams hang around. In the last five weeks, the Vikings have played one-score games with the New York Jets and Giants, needed overtime to beat the lowly Indianapolis Colts, and lost to their division rival Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers.

This is the type of run you want your opponent to be on when you face them in a playoff game.

Finally, we know that the Giants will be on the road in the NFL playoffs no matter what happens. From a travel perspective, it is much easier for the team to take the three-hour flight to Minneapolis than a six-hour trip to the worst-case Giants Wild Card opponent’s home.

Worst case: Giants at San Francisco 49ers

In Week 18 — despite both teams being possible Giants playoff opponents — every New York fan needs to root hard for the San Francisco 49ers and Minnesota Vikings. That’s because if the Arizona Cardinals beat the 49ers and the Chicago Bears take out the Vikings, the Giants' Wild Card opponent in the NFL Playoffs becomes the 49ers.

Of all the Giants playoff scenarios, this is the worst one.

The 49ers are the polar opposite of the Vikings, and that should worry the Giants.

Traveling all the way across the country for a Giants playoff appearance isn’t ideal. Going from New York to California isn’t as bad as teams coming west to east, but it is certainly not ideal.

Also, the Niners are winners of nine games in a row, the best streak in the NFL right now. And they are doing it in convincing fashion, averaging 30 points per game during that run. Unlike the Vikings, they don’t let teams hang around. During their streak, they are winning by more than 14 points per game.

The 49ers feature the No. 1 scoring defense in the NFL this season and the No. 6 (and quickly rising) scoring offense. On offense, they already have Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, and Brandon Aiyuk playing at a high level, and they should get Deebo Samuel and Elijah Mitchell back for a Giants Wild Card matchup.

Sure, the 49ers have the last pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, Brock Purdy, starting at quarterback. But he’s been excellent in his four starts (and eight overall appearances), throwing for 1,196 yards, completing 66% of his passes, and putting up 10 touchdowns to just four interceptions on the season.

Plus, Purdy might be young and relatively untested, but he would come into this 49ers-Giants playoff game with the exact same number of postseason starts (zero) as Daniel Jones.

At the end of the day, the Giants made the NFL playoffs this season in what should have been a rebuilding year under first-year head coach Brian Daboll, and that’s a huge win. That said, if the Giants’ Wild Card opponent is the Vikings instead of the 49ers, there’s a much greater chance the good times keep rolling into the Divisional Round and maybe even beyond.