As Aaron Rodgers & Co. are gearing up to face the unbeaten Vikings in London, a bizarre stat has popped up that has put the Jets in the hot seat for their playoff hopes.
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Ever since the New York Giants and the Miami Dolphins kickstarted the NFL International Series in London in 2007, 35 more games have been played in the UK. What’s bizarre however is that none of these matches were played by the teams who both managed to reach the playoffs.
Amongst the 36 instances, 14 games saw both teams not make the playoffs. Whereas only a single team could make the playoffs in the remaining 22 games based in London.
NONE of the 36 NFL games ever played in London has been between two playoff teams
Jets vs. Vikings in London on Sunday… could this finally be the one??? pic.twitter.com/S9XCxCgFdR
— Lev Akabas (@LevAkabas) October 4, 2024
With the upcoming mouthwatering clash between Aaron Rodgers’ Jets against the unbeaten Vikings taking place in the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, in London, there is a possibility that this bizarre trend can be bucked with both the Jets and the Vikings making the playoffs this year.
However as history has shown us, the Vikings look like the favorites to clinch a playoff berth if one were to bet on who among the two will qualify.
On the flip side, history has also taught us to never count Aaron Rodgers out. But when a team like the Vikings are 4-0, it’s hard to argue otherwise.
Minnesota Vikings have one foot on the playoff carpet
Since 1970, nearly 155 teams have managed to be 3-0 at the start of the season. Amongst these perfect starters, nearly 74 percent, i.e. a whopping 115 teams have managed to reach the playoffs. The power of having a positive start doesn’t end here.
Of these 115 teams, nearly 40 percent of them have managed to reach the playoffs with 21 eventually going to lift the Lombardi Trophy. So to sum it up, history suggests that there is an 18.26 percent chance of a team reaching the Super Bowl if they have a stellar 3-0 start.
With the Vikings already having secured a 4-0 record alongside the Chiefs, who are the rulers of the AFC, it wouldn’t be too far-fetched to assume that these two teams might be the potential Super Bowl participants of this season.
With these two stats in mind, the Vikings should derive confidence and a sense of security from them in their weekend confrontation against Aaron Rodgers & Co. rather than get overconfident over it.
