Justin Jefferson Calls for NFL Playoff Reseeding After Vikings’ Road Game Despite 14-Win Season

The Minnesota Vikings were eliminated by the Los Angeles Rams 27-9 in the NFL Wildcard match last season at State Farm Stadium in Arizona.

Justin Jefferson Calls for NFL Playoff Reseeding After Vikings’ Road Game Despite 14-Win Season

Justin Jefferson (Image via Vikings/X)

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The Minnesota Vikings won fourteen games in the past season and closed the division in second spot behind the Detroit Lions, who edged the Vikings in Week 18 to finish out on top. Despite their high win record, the Vikings were seeded fifth in the playoffs, behind the likes of the Los Angeles Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who had fewer wins than they did.

And Justin Jefferson isn’t a huge fan of this. In a recent interview with Jason Fitz of Yahoo Sports, Jefferson discussed the upcoming season with a young rookie quarterback in the center and the league’s current playoff seeding system among other topics.

The Vikings, being the lower-ranked team, had to face the Rams in the wildcard at an away ground. Jefferson claimed that a team with 14 wins ideally never has to play away in the playoffs.

With the season that we had last year, to go and play away, it definitely was a little different. It definitely needs to go into consideration and something that we need to figure out because having 14 wins . . . normally doesn’t go to play away in the playoffs,” Jefferson said.

Nevertheless, Jefferson admitted that they had the chance to play for home-field advantage in the last regular-season game. He acknowledged that, although it still felt like they deserved home advantage despite the win, they had no excuses for losing the wild card game:

We definitely had the opportunity to play home field with the last game in Detroit, but even losing that we still felt like we should’ve had home-field advantage. But even not having home-field advantage is never an excuse. It’s something we had to deal with and we wish we would’ve had home field but it is what it is

The Detroit Lions had pushed for a change in the playoff seeding system. The Lions’ proposal asked for a change so that a wildcard team with a higher record than a division winner is seeded higher. However, they didn’t have enough support to pass the notion.

The Vikings are expected to recreate 2024 magic in the upcoming season as well

The Minnesota Vikings are gearing up for a new season with JJ McCarthy taking over the helm after they traded Sam Darnold in the offseason. The Vikings were one of the forces to reckon with in the last season, and they are expected to showcase the same performance in the coming season as well.

J.J. McCarthy
JJ McCarthy (Image via Imago)

The Vikings, with no expense on the signal-calling end, cashed out majorly to build an offensive roster around McCarthy. They signed former Colts standouts Ryan Kelly and Will Fries in free agency. In the draft, they picked up Ohio State guard Donovan Jackson in the first round to complete the interior trio.

The line also boasts the presence of standout tackles Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill. Furthermore, Justin Jefferson comes off heavy recommendation, considering his high numbers from last season. If everyone stays healthy, the Vikings are sure to be a juggernaut in 2025.

In a recent report from Trevor Sikkema and Dalton Wasserman of the PFF NFL Show, the Vikings were ranked seventh in the league for the best offensive line. However, Sikkema admitted that he has them in the fourth position, but the ceiling for him is much higher. He claimed that if they remain healthy throughout the season, they are highly projected to be the No.1 in multiple statistics:

I truly believe that the Minnesota Vikings could have the best offensive line in the NFL. This unit is fantastic. I think this offensive line is experienced, it’s athletic, and they can run the exact type of run-blocking scheme that Kevin O’Connell wants to in Minnesota.

It might come down to JJ McCarthy and the players remaining on top of their health for the Vikings to be a dominant offensive powerhouse.

Also Read: JJ McCarthy Gets Vote of Confidence from Veteran Wide Receiver Ahead of Vikings Debut: “He’s Got All the Skills to Succeed”