2021 Minnesota Vikings season | |
---|---|
Owner | Zygi Wilf |
General manager | Rick Spielman |
Head coach | Mike Zimmer |
Home field | U.S. Bank Stadium |
Results | |
Record | 8–9 |
Division place | 2nd NFC North |
Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Pro Bowlers | 5
|
AP All-Pros | WR Justin Jefferson (2nd team) |
Uniform | |
The 2021 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 61st in the National Football League (NFL), their sixth playing home games at U.S. Bank Stadium and their eighth and final under head coach Mike Zimmer. They were eliminated from playoff contention for the second straight season following a Week 17 loss to the Green Bay Packers. The day after the team's last game of the season, the Vikings fired Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman. [1]
The Vikings entered the 2021 NFL draft with no second-round pick, having traded it to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for DE Yannick Ngakoue during the 2020 season; however, they picked up an extra third-round selection when they traded Ngakoue to the Baltimore Ravens a few weeks later. [2] They also received an additional fifth-round selection from the Ravens as part of a multi-pick trade during the 2020 draft, as well as additional fourth-round selections from the Chicago Bears (as part of a multi-pick trade) and the Buffalo Bills (as part of the trade that sent Stefon Diggs to the Bills ahead of the 2020 season). The Vikings were also awarded two compensatory selections at the NFL's annual spring owners' meetings; they received one additional pick in the fourth round and one in the sixth round, compensating for the losses of Mackensie Alexander, Jayron Kearse, Andrew Sendejo, Trae Waynes and Stephen Weatherly. [3] On March 19, 2021, the Vikings were forced to forfeit a seventh-round selection due to a salary cap violation relating to a practice squad player during the 2019 season. [4]
On the first day of the draft, the Vikings traded their first-round pick and a fourth-round pick to the New York Jets in exchange for the first-round pick the Jets had received from the Seattle Seahawks (23rd overall) and two additional third-round picks. [5] With their new first-round pick, the Vikings selected offensive tackle Christian Darrisaw, the first player at the position to be taken in the first round by the Vikings since Matt Kalil with the fourth overall pick in 2012. [6] With no second-round pick, the Vikings' draft resumed in the third round with the picks they received from the Jets the previous day and the one they received from Baltimore in exchange for Yannick Ngakoue, in addition to their original third-round pick. With these, they picked quarterback Kellen Mond, linebacker Chazz Surratt, guard Wyatt Davis and defensive end Patrick Jones II. [7] In the fourth round, the Vikings took running back Kene Nwangwu, cornerback Camryn Bynum and defensive end Janarius Robinson, [8] followed by wide receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette and tight end/punter Zach Davidson in the fifth. [9] The Vikings' final pick of the draft came in the sixth round, when they selected defensive tackle Jaylen Twyman with the 199th overall pick. [10]
Round | Selection | Player name | Position | College | Contract | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 14 | Traded to the New York Jets [A] | ||||
23 | Christian Darrisaw | OT | Virginia Tech | 4 years, $13.35 million [12] | From Seahawks via Jets [A] | |
2 | 45 | Traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars [B] | ||||
3 | 66 | Kellen Mond | QB | Texas A&M | 4 years, $5.22 million [14] | From Jets [A] |
78 | Chazz Surratt | LB | North Carolina | 4 years, $5 million [15] | ||
86 | Wyatt Davis | G | Ohio State | 4 years, $4.9 million [15] | From Jets [A] | |
90 | Patrick Jones II | DE | Pittsburgh | 4 years, $4.87 million [15] | From Ravens [C] | |
4 | 119 | Kene Nwangwu | RB | Iowa State | 4 years, $4.23 million [17] | |
125 | Camryn Bynum | CB | California | 4 years, $4.2 million [18] | From Bears [D] | |
134 | Janarius Robinson | DE | Florida State | 4 years, $4.15 million [17] | From Bills [E] | |
143 | Traded to the New York Jets [A] | Compensatory selection | ||||
5 | 157 | Ihmir Smith-Marsette | WR | Iowa | 4 years, $3.8 million [21] | |
168 | Zach Davidson | TE | Central Missouri | 4 years, $3.78 million [21] | From Steelers via Ravens [F] | |
6 | 199 | Jaylen Twyman | DT | Pittsburgh | 4 years, $3.65 million [23] | |
223 | Traded to the Arizona Cardinals [G] | Compensatory selection | ||||
7 | — | Selection forfeited [H] |
Draft trades
Name | Position | College | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
Turner Bernard | LS | San Diego State | [26] |
Tuf Borland | LB | Ohio State | |
Christian Elliss | LB | Idaho | |
Zeandae Johnson | DT | California | |
Myron Mitchell | WR | UAB | |
Riley Patterson | K | Memphis | |
Whop Philyor | WR | Indiana | |
Blake Proehl | WR | East Carolina | |
A. J. Rose | RB | Kentucky | |
Jordon Scott | NT | Oregon | |
Zach Von Rosenberg | P | LSU |
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
The Vikings' preliminary preseason schedule was announced on May 12. [27] The exact dates and times were finalized on June 3. [28]
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | August 14 | Denver Broncos | L 6–33 | 0–1 | U.S. Bank Stadium | 66,028 | Recap |
2 | August 21 | Indianapolis Colts | L 10–12 | 0–2 | U.S. Bank Stadium | 66,022 | Recap |
3 | August 27 | at Kansas City Chiefs | L 25–28 | 0–3 | Arrowhead Stadium | 72,680 | Recap |
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Broncos | 9 | 17 | 7 | 0 | 33 |
Vikings | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Game information | ||
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Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Colts | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 12 |
Vikings | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Game information | ||
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Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vikings | 3 | 0 | 7 | 15 | 25 |
Chiefs | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 28 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Game information | ||
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In addition to their usual six games home and away against their NFC North rivals, the Vikings would also play games against each of the teams from the NFC West and the AFC North, as well as the two teams that, like the Vikings, finished in third place in their divisions in the NFC East and NFC South in 2020: the Dallas Cowboys and the Carolina Panthers. Following an agreement between the league and the National Football League Players Association to expand the regular season schedule to 17 games, the Vikings also played against the Los Angeles Chargers, one of the third-placed teams from the American Football Conference (AFC) whom they were not originally scheduled to play in 2021. [29] [30] The Vikings' 2021 schedule was announced on May 12. [27]
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 12 | at Cincinnati Bengals | L 24−27 (OT) | 0−1 | Paul Brown Stadium | 56,525 | Recap |
2 | September 19 | at Arizona Cardinals | L 33−34 | 0–2 | State Farm Stadium | 60,115 | Recap |
3 | September 26 | Seattle Seahawks | W 30–17 | 1–2 | U.S. Bank Stadium | 66,729 | Recap |
4 | October 3 | Cleveland Browns | L 7–14 | 1–3 | U.S. Bank Stadium | 66,703 | Recap |
5 | October 10 | Detroit Lions | W 19–17 | 2–3 | U.S. Bank Stadium | 66,538 | Recap |
6 | October 17 | at Carolina Panthers | W 34–28 (OT) | 3–3 | Bank of America Stadium | 72,104 | Recap |
7 | Bye | ||||||
8 | October 31 | Dallas Cowboys | L 16–20 | 3–4 | U.S. Bank Stadium | 66,633 | Recap |
9 | November 7 | at Baltimore Ravens | L 31–34 (OT) | 3–5 | M&T Bank Stadium | 70,599 | Recap |
10 | November 14 | at Los Angeles Chargers | W 27–20 | 4–5 | SoFi Stadium | 70,240 | Recap |
11 | November 21 | Green Bay Packers | W 34–31 | 5–5 | U.S. Bank Stadium | 66,959 | Recap |
12 | November 28 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 26–34 | 5–6 | Levi's Stadium | 71,493 | Recap |
13 | December 5 | at Detroit Lions | L 27–29 | 5–7 | Ford Field | 45,691 | Recap |
14 | December 9 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 36–28 | 6–7 | U.S. Bank Stadium | 66,718 | Recap |
15 | December 20 | at Chicago Bears | W 17–9 | 7–7 | Soldier Field | 60,082 | Recap |
16 | December 26 | Los Angeles Rams | L 23–30 | 7–8 | U.S. Bank Stadium | 66,708 | Recap |
17 | January 2 | at Green Bay Packers | L 10–37 | 7–9 | Lambeau Field | 77,832 | Recap |
18 | January 9 | Chicago Bears | W 31–17 | 8–9 | U.S. Bank Stadium | 66,625 | Recap |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vikings | 0 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 24 |
Bengals | 0 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 27 |
at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
Game information | ||
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This was head coach Mike Zimmer's first return to Cincinnati since 2013, his last season with the Bengals before departing to become the Vikings head coach. Zimmer served as defensive coordinator for the Bengals under then-head coach Marvin Lewis from 2008 to 2013.
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vikings | 14 | 9 | 7 | 3 | 33 |
Cardinals | 7 | 17 | 7 | 3 | 34 |
at State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
Game information | ||
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|
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Seahawks | 10 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
Vikings | 7 | 14 | 3 | 6 | 30 |
at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Game information | ||
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|
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Browns | 0 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 14 |
Vikings | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Game information | ||
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|
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lions | 3 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 17 |
Vikings | 3 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 19 |
at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Game information | ||
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|
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vikings | 6 | 6 | 13 | 3 | 6 | 34 |
Panthers | 7 | 3 | 7 | 11 | 0 | 28 |
at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
Game information | ||
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Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cowboys | 0 | 3 | 10 | 7 | 20 |
Vikings | 7 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 16 |
at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vikings | 7 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 31 |
Ravens | 3 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 3 | 34 |
at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vikings | 0 | 13 | 7 | 7 | 27 |
Chargers | 0 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 20 |
Game information | ||
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|
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Packers | 3 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 31 |
Vikings | 9 | 7 | 7 | 11 | 34 |
at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vikings | 7 | 7 | 12 | 0 | 26 |
49ers | 7 | 7 | 20 | 0 | 34 |
at Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California
Game information | ||
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|
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vikings | 6 | 0 | 9 | 12 | 27 |
Lions | 0 | 20 | 3 | 6 | 29 |
at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan
Game information | ||
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|
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Steelers | 0 | 0 | 7 | 21 | 28 |
Vikings | 6 | 17 | 6 | 7 | 36 |
at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vikings | 7 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
Bears | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 9 |
at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
Game information | ||
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|
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rams | 7 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 30 |
Vikings | 0 | 3 | 10 | 10 | 23 |
at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vikings | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
Packers | 3 | 17 | 10 | 7 | 37 |
at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin
Game information | ||
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|
Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bears | 3 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 17 |
Vikings | 0 | 3 | 7 | 21 | 31 |
at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Game information | ||
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NFC North | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
(1) Green Bay Packers | 13 | 4 | 0 | .765 | 4–2 | 9–3 | 450 | 371 | L1 |
Minnesota Vikings | 8 | 9 | 0 | .471 | 4–2 | 6–6 | 425 | 426 | W1 |
Chicago Bears | 6 | 11 | 0 | .353 | 2–4 | 4–8 | 311 | 407 | L1 |
Detroit Lions | 3 | 13 | 1 | .206 | 2–4 | 3–9 | 325 | 467 | W1 |
# | Team | Division | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | SOS | SOV | STK |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division winners | |||||||||||
1 [a] | Green Bay Packers | North | 13 | 4 | 0 | .765 | 4–2 | 9–3 | .479 | .480 | L1 |
2 [a] | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | South | 13 | 4 | 0 | .765 | 4–2 | 8–4 | .467 | .443 | W3 |
3 [b] | Dallas Cowboys | East | 12 | 5 | 0 | .706 | 6–0 | 10–2 | .488 | .431 | W1 |
4 [b] | Los Angeles Rams | West | 12 | 5 | 0 | .706 | 3–3 | 8–4 | .483 | .409 | L1 |
Wild cards | |||||||||||
5 | Arizona Cardinals | West | 11 | 6 | 0 | .647 | 4–2 | 7–5 | .490 | .492 | L1 |
6 | San Francisco 49ers | West | 10 | 7 | 0 | .588 | 2–4 | 7–5 | .500 | .438 | W2 |
7 [c] | Philadelphia Eagles | East | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 | 3–3 | 7–5 | .469 | .350 | L1 |
Did not qualify for the postseason | |||||||||||
8 [c] | New Orleans Saints | South | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 | 4–2 | 7–5 | .512 | .516 | W2 |
9 | Minnesota Vikings | North | 8 | 9 | 0 | .471 | 4–2 | 6–6 | .507 | .434 | W1 |
10 [d] | Washington Football Team | East | 7 | 10 | 0 | .412 | 2–4 | 6–6 | .529 | .420 | W1 |
11 [d] [e] | Seattle Seahawks | West | 7 | 10 | 0 | .412 | 3–3 | 4–8 | .519 | .424 | W2 |
12 [d] [e] | Atlanta Falcons | South | 7 | 10 | 0 | .412 | 2–4 | 4–8 | .472 | .315 | L2 |
13 | Chicago Bears | North | 6 | 11 | 0 | .353 | 2–4 | 4–8 | .524 | .373 | L1 |
14 | Carolina Panthers | South | 5 | 12 | 0 | .294 | 2–4 | 3–9 | .509 | .412 | L7 |
15 | New York Giants | East | 4 | 13 | 0 | .235 | 1–5 | 3–9 | .536 | .485 | L6 |
16 | Detroit Lions | North | 3 | 13 | 1 | .206 | 2–4 | 3–9 | .528 | .627 | W1 |
Tiebreakers [f] | |||||||||||
|
Category | Player(s) | Total |
---|---|---|
Passing yards | Kirk Cousins | 4,221 |
Passing touchdowns | Kirk Cousins | 33 |
Rushing yards | Dalvin Cook | 1,159 |
Rushing touchdowns | Dalvin Cook | 6 |
Receptions | Justin Jefferson | 108 |
Receiving yards | Justin Jefferson | 1,616 |
Receiving touchdowns | Justin Jefferson Adam Thielen | 10 |
Points | Greg Joseph | 135 |
Kickoff return yards | Kene Nwangwu | 579 |
Punt return yards | Dede Westbrook | 183 |
Tackles | Eric Kendricks | 143 |
Sacks | D. J. Wonnum | 8.0 |
Interceptions | Anthony Barr Xavier Woods | 3 |
Forced fumbles | Bashaud Breeland Armon Watts Xavier Woods | 2 |
Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com [31]
Category | Total yards | Yards per game | NFL rank (out of 32) |
---|---|---|---|
Passing offense | 4,238 | 249.3 | 11th |
Rushing offense | 1,930 | 113.5 | 17th |
Total offense | 6,168 | 362.8 | 12th |
Passing defense | 4,300 | 252.9 | 28th |
Rushing defense | 2,222 | 130.7 | 26th |
Total defense | 6,522 | 383.6 | 30th |
Source: ProFootballReference.com [32]
Three Vikings players were named to the 2022 Pro Bowl when the rosters were announced on December 20, 2021. On offense, Dalvin Cook led the voting among NFC running backs to reach his third straight Pro Bowl, while WR Justin Jefferson made it two in a row; on defense, Harrison Smith received the most fan votes among NFC safeties to go to his sixth Pro Bowl. [33] Those three were joined by T Brian O'Neill on January 26, 2022, after Tampa Bay Buccaneers tackle Tristan Wirfs was ruled out due to injury. [34] Quarterback Kirk Cousins was added to the NFC roster on January 31 following the withdrawal of Packers QB Aaron Rodgers due to injury. [35]
The 2011 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 51st in the National Football League (NFL), and the first full season under head coach Leslie Frazier, who served as the team's interim head coach for the final six games of the 2010 season. The team failed to improve on their 6–10 record from 2010, going 2–6 before their bye week, before being eliminated from playoff contention in week 12 with a 2–9 record. The team also suffered its first six-game losing streak since the 1984 season.
The 2012 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 52nd in the National Football League (NFL), as well as their second full season under head coach Leslie Frazier. They looked to improve upon their 3–13 season the year before, and did so after defeating the Tennessee Titans in Week 5; their win over the Houston Texans in Week 16 made this their first winning season since 2009. The Vikings also made the playoffs for the first time since 2009 with a Week 17 win over the Green Bay Packers to give them a 10–6 regular season record, but were defeated by the same opponents in the Wild Card playoff round the following week. Adrian Peterson was named the league's Most Valuable Player after rushing for 2,097 yards, just nine yards short of breaking the single-season record held by Eric Dickerson since 1984.
The 2016 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 56th in the National Football League (NFL) and their third under head coach Mike Zimmer. After starting the season with five consecutive wins prior to their bye week, the Vikings managed just three victories after the bye and were eliminated from playoff contention in Week 16 with a 38–25 road loss to the Packers. They joined the 1978 Redskins, 1993 Saints, 2003 Vikings, 2009 Broncos, 2009 Giants and 2015 Falcons in missing the playoffs after starting 5–0 or better. The Vikings are the only NFL team to have more than once started 5–0 or better and missed the playoffs.
The 2017 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 57th in the National Football League (NFL), and their fourth under head coach Mike Zimmer. With the team's home stadium, U.S. Bank Stadium, scheduled to host Super Bowl LII at the end of the season, the Vikings attempted to make history as the first team to play the Super Bowl on their home field; in recording their best regular season record since 1998, they clinched a first-round bye for the first time since 2009 and became the eighth team in the Super Bowl era to qualify for the playoffs in a season in which their stadium hosted the Super Bowl. They defeated the New Orleans Saints in the divisional round 29–24 on a walk-off play referred to as the "Minneapolis Miracle", but lost 38–7 to the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game.
The 2018 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 58th in the National Football League (NFL), their third playing their home games at U.S. Bank Stadium and their fifth under head coach Mike Zimmer.
The 2019 season was the Kansas City Chiefs' 50th in the National Football League (NFL), their 60th overall, their seventh under head coach Andy Reid and third under general manager Brett Veach.
The 2019 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 59th in the National Football League (NFL), their fourth playing home games at U.S. Bank Stadium and their sixth under head coach Mike Zimmer. They improved on their 8–7–1 campaign from 2018 with a Week 14 win over the Detroit Lions, and returned to the playoffs following a one-year absence after the Los Angeles Rams lost to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 16. That week, the Vikings were eliminated from contention for the NFC North division title, losing 23–10 to the Green Bay Packers. They defeated the New Orleans Saints 26–20 in overtime in the Wild Card round but lost 27–10 to the eventual NFC champion San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round.
The 2020 season was the Jacksonville Jaguars' 26th season in the National Football League (NFL), their eighth and final season under general manager David Caldwell and their fourth and final season under head coach Doug Marrone. With a Week 11 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Jaguars dropped to 1–9 resulting in their third consecutive losing season and their ninth in ten seasons. After a loss to the Cleveland Browns in Week 12, the Jaguars both failed to improve on their 6–10 record from the previous season and were eliminated from playoff contention for the third consecutive season. They surpassed their loss total from the previous season after an overtime loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
The 2020 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 60th in the National Football League (NFL), their fifth playing home games at U.S. Bank Stadium and their seventh under head coach Mike Zimmer. This was the Vikings' first time since 2005 that long-time assistant Kevin Stefanski was not part of the Vikings coaching staff, as he left to become the new head coach of the Cleveland Browns on January 12, 2020. After going 1–5 in their first six games for the first time since 2013, the team failed to improve upon their 10–6 record from 2019 after a Week 11 loss to the Dallas Cowboys and failed to match their 10–6 record after a Week 14 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Vikings were eliminated from playoff contention following a week 16 loss to the New Orleans Saints, and ultimately finished 7–9, their first losing season since 2014. The Vikings conceded 475 points during the season, the third-highest total in franchise history, although they also managed to score 430 points, also the third-most in team history.
The 2021 season was the Chicago Bears' 102nd season in the National Football League (NFL), their 103rd overall, and their fourth and final under head coach Matt Nagy. This was the first season under the NFL's new 17-game schedule.
The 2022 season was the Indianapolis Colts' 70th in the National Football League (NFL), their 39th in Indianapolis, their sixth under the leadership of general manager Chris Ballard and their fifth and final season under head coach Frank Reich.
The 2022 season was the Jacksonville Jaguars' 28th season in the National Football League (NFL) and their first under head coach Doug Pederson.
The 2022 season was the Kansas City Chiefs' 53rd in the National Football League (NFL), their 63rd overall, their 10th under head coach Andy Reid, and their sixth under general manager Brett Veach. The Chiefs finished the regular season 14–3, improving their win total from the previous season and matching the franchise record for wins.
The 2022 season was the Chicago Bears' 103rd in the National Football League (NFL) and their first under general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus. They failed to improve upon their 6–11 record from the previous season.
The 2022 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 62nd in the National Football League (NFL), their seventh playing home games at U.S. Bank Stadium and their first under new general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and new head coach Kevin O'Connell, following the firings of Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer at the end of the 2021 season.
The 2023 season was the Kansas City Chiefs' 54th season in the National Football League (NFL), their 64th overall and their eleventh under head coach Andy Reid.
The 2023 season was the Chicago Bears' 104th season in the National Football League (NFL) and their second under the head coach/general manager tandem of Matt Eberflus and Ryan Poles.
The 2023 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 63rd in the National Football League (NFL), their eighth playing their home games at U.S. Bank Stadium and their second under the head coach/general manager tandem of Kevin O'Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.
The 2024 season is the Houston Texans' 23rd season in the National Football League (NFL) and the second under head coach DeMeco Ryans. The team introduced new uniforms for the first time since the franchise's inception. This is the Texans' first season with Cal McNair as the franchise's sole principal owner. The Texans started 2–0 for the first time since 2016 following their Week 2 victory against the Chicago Bears on Sunday Night Football. The Texans would go on to have a 5–1 start, being their best start since 2012, but lost four of their next six, including a game against the Detroit Lions where they blew a 23–7 halftime lead.
The 2024 season is the Minnesota Vikings' 64th in the National Football League (NFL), their ninth playing their home games at U.S. Bank Stadium, their 20th under the ownership of Zygi Wilf and their third under the head coach/general manager tandem of Kevin O'Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. The Vikings improved on their 7–10 record from 2023 after a Week 11 win over the Tennessee Titans and are looking to return to the playoffs after a one-year absence. The Vikings started the season 5–0 for the first time since 2016 following a Week 5 victory against the New York Jets in London.