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Tim Nelson
St. Paul

Minnesota gets playoff rematch with New Orleans

Viktor the Viking leads fans in the 'Skol' cheer.
The Minnesota Vikings mascot, Viktor the Viking, leads fans in the "Skol" cheer during the team's final game of the season against the Chicago Bears at U.S. Bank Stadium on Dec. 31, 2017.
Judy Griesedieck for MPR News 2017

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The playoff picture has gotten a little clearer for the Vikings.

Minnesota will play New Orleans on Sunday at U.S. Bank stadium after the Saints pulled off an NFC wildcard win over the Carolina Panthers Sunday. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:40 p.m.

Sunday's matchup will be the second meeting for the Saints and Vikings this season. Minnesota beat New Orleans in September.

But Vikings fans may remember the Saints dashed the Vikings' last Super Bowl bid, beating Minnesota in the NFC title game in 2009.

The Vikings were hit with a penalty in that game for having 12 men on the field and the last pass that then-Viking's quarterback Brett Favre threw was intercepted, 19 seconds from the end of regulation play. The Saints beat the Vikings in the Superdome with a field goal in overtime and went on to beat the Colts in the Super Bowl.

The Saints were later found to have been running an illegal "bounty" system, starting in 2009, that paid financial incentives to Saints defenders for injuring opposing players.

Next weekend, though, the Vikings will be playing hosts, in their bid to be the first team ever to host a home Super Bowl.

It will be the second meeting for the two teams this season. The Vikings beat the Saints in their home opener at U.S. Bank Stadium in September 29-19. The Vikings started Sam Bradford as quarterback in that game and the Saints debuted their new running back, former Viking Adrian Peterson, who proved lackluster and was traded away to Arizona a month later.

The other NFC playoff game in Philadelphia will pit the Eagles, the team with the NFL's best regular season record, against the Falcons, last year's NFC champions. That game will kick off late Saturday afternoon.

The Eagles are without star quarterback, North Dakota State University graduate Carson Wentz, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in mid-December. The winners of next weekend's games will advance to the NFC championship on Jan. 21.

The AFC divisional playoff will have the New England Patriots hosting the Tennessee Titans on Saturday night and the Pittsburgh Steelers hosting the Jacksonville Jaguars in a noon game on Sunday. The winners from those games go to the AFC Championship.

Conference champions play in the Super Bowl in Minneapolis on Feb. 4.