The Minnesota Vikings find themselves in a pretty good position heading into the final two weeks of the 2022 season. They have already locked up the NFC North, and they cannot fall any lower than the number three seed in the NFC. On paper, it seems like the Vikings are in a good position to go on a nice postseason run this year.

Despite that, a long playoff run from the Vikings is anything but a sure bet this season. They aren't exactly winning in dominant fashion, although they don't ask how, they just ask how many. The problem is that against tougher competition, they may quickly get exposed and sent packing for the offseason.

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Minnesota is obviously a dangerous team, but it feels like a lot would have to go their way in order for them to make a run to the Super Bowl this season. There is also a nightmare postseason scenario that seems likely to come to fruition for them that could derail their Super Bowl quest sooner than expected, so let's see what that scenario is and see why it could end up destroying Minnesota's season.

Vikings nightmare playoff scenario

As previously mentioned, the Vikings have a pretty strong grip on the number two seed at this stage of the game. They would have to win their final two games, while the Philadelphia Eagles lose their final two games, in order to move up to the number one seed, which would take a miracle to happen.

The San Francisco 49ers currently hold the three seed behind the Vikings, but they have a decent chance to catch them before the end of the season. The 49ers currently have a flawless record in their division, and assuming they beat the Arizona Cardinals in Week 18, they would be the number two seed if they end up finishing with the same record as the Vikings.

Still, the Vikings have the inside track, and would simply have to beat the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears over their final two games to hold onto the number two seed. The two seed isn't as glamorous as it once was, but it ensures home field advantage through the first two rounds of the playoffs, assuming you can make it that far.

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In reality, the difference between the number two and number three seed right now doesn't seem particularly large. The final two wild card teams, which are currently the New York Giants and Washington Commanders, don't appear to be the two toughest opponents, and the Vikings would be favored to beat either team, regardless of what seed they entered the playoffs as.

The problem is the divisional round, as the Vikings would almost certainly be set for a tough matchup with the 49ers one way or another. There's really no way around it at this point it seems, as Minnesota and San Fran are almost certainly going to be the number two and number three seeds in the NFC. And if that's the case, the Vikings may be in trouble.

If both the Vikings and 49ers win their wild card matchup, they will be facing off in the divisional round. That's immediately going to present the Vikings with a huge challenge that they may not be able to overcome. And again, with only two games left, there's really no way around this for them unless they somehow win the NFC.

The 49ers are down to their third-string quarterback in Brock Purdy, but it hasn't seemed to phase them at all. Their offense gets the job done, regardless of who their quarterback is, and their defense is arguably the most feared unit in the league. Not everyone has answers for Minnesota's high-powered offense, but the Niners defense may be capable of stopping them.

This wouldn't typically be as worrisome for the Vikings if they have proven more often that they are capable of picking up resounding wins this season. Winning one score games isn't a huge deal, but doing it at the rate the Vikings are doing is wildly concerning, especially considering it's happening against good and bad teams alike.

The main question surrounding the Vikings has to be whether or not they will flounder on the biggest stage of the season. A game against a very good 49ers team would be their biggest test of the season, and while they are 12-3, there's no guarantee that it's a test they can pass. That's strange to say about a 12-win team, but the Vikings aren't your typical 12-win team, and it will be interesting to see how they fare against the top teams in the NFC in the playoffs.