Consider this scenario.  The Vikings beat the Bears on Sunday.  The Saints lose to the Patriots on Monday.  This is not a farfetched scenario and would put both teams at 10-1. 

Then, since they’re the hottest teams in the NFC, they both manage to win out and end up 15-1.  Again, this is not too farfetched.

Who gets home field advantage if they meet in the playoffs?

Here is how the tie breaker could shake out:

  1.  Head to Head:  This is not applicable this season.
  2. Conference Record:  In the scenario above, each team would be undefeated in the NFC.
  3. Common Games (minimum of four):  Each team would be undefeated in their common games.
  4. Strength of Victory:  This is where things get sticky.

That’s right, it is not all that unthinkable that the Vikings and Saints home field advantage could come down to how badly they have beaten their opponents. 

So far the Saints have outscored their opponents by a total of 165 points.  The Vikings have outscored their opponents by 113 points.

So, while some people might think that it is too early to think about this, and that this scenario is far too speculative, do not doubt for one second that Vikings’ ownership, management, and coaches know the importance of hosting as many playoff games as possible.  It is important in that home teams have certain competitive advantages, and also is important to their stadium efforts.

For these reasons, do not be surprised if the Vikings try to turn up the intensity and make blowouts (like the one against Seattle) a very regular occurrence.

 

UPDATE:  I stand corrected.  I need a fact checker.  Strength of victory (step #4) is actually the winning percentage of the teams you have beat.  Not how badly you beat them.  The teams that the Vikings have beat or have yet to play have a combined 62 wins to date.  The teams that the Saints have beat or have yet to play have a combined 64 wins to date.  The Saints lsoing to the Patriots would go a long ways towards getting the Vikings homefield advantage.