The Super Bowl is officially 33 days away, and the NFL has taken over at US Bank Stadium. But, the Vikings playoff run is putting a wrinkle in the preparations.

The league is basically renting the stadium, and there are a lot of numbers involved in the logistics of a Super Bowl.

“When we were in Houston last year, when Houston handed the ball off to us the day after, we thought, ‘why do you guys look so happy?’ and now we get it, we understand,” said Andrea Mokros, Super Bowl Host Committee Vice President.

Three years of planning is now down to 33 days of execution.

Around the stadium, we can see the first sign of what will be a small compound of security and broadcast. Also, Chicago Avenue, which is typically closed on game days, is now shut down through Feb. 11 in what is just the beginning of street closures

Other roads around the stadium will close a week before the game, and some will be closed just for Super Bowl weekend.


“Nicollet Mall will be really the first major road to close outside of these smaller closure around the stadium,” Mokros said.

Six blocks of Nicollet Mall, the site of “Super Bowl Live,” shuts down on the 15th until three days after the game.

If the Vikings season had ended Sunday, the makeover would’ve started Tuesday. But now, they have to wait at least two weeks - if not three - and condense all that work down.

“Because the Vikings are now in the playoffs, that timeline is going to shorten a little bit…but we love a good challenge and we love the opportunity to make history by possibly having the first hometown team in the game,” Mokros said.