The 2018 NFL playoffs get going this weekend, and that means it is time for some picks and predictions. We’ll be back with picks against the spread for wild card weekend, but I thought we’d get things going with picks from the Niners Nation staff. I’ve embedded them in a table below, and will continue updating the table as picks come in.

For now, there are eight sets of picks submitted. Of the eight, four have picked the Minnesota Vikings to win the Super Bowl, and a fifth picked them to win the NFC title game but lose in the Super Bowl. This is notable for two reasons. The first is that Minneapolis is hosting the Super Bowl this year, and this marks the first time the host stadium hosted its own team for the big game. The San Francisco 49ers’ Super Bowl 19 win over the Miami Dolphins was the closest prior, but it was played at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto.

The second reason is that the Vikings have never won a Super Bowl. Prior to the Buffalo Bills losing four straight Super Bowls, the Vikings lost four Super Bowls in eight years between Super Bowl 4 and Super Bowl 11. It’s safe to say this team winning a Super Bowl would be a huge deal in that regard. It would also be crazy given how this offense has performed with Case Keenum at quarterback, and after losing rookie running back Dalvin Cook. It would be a crazy way to cap off a fairly unpredictable 2017 NFL season.

Here is a rundown of all our predictions. I have a Patriots-Vikings Super Bowl, primarily because I just can’t see the Jaguars going into Foxboro and beating the Patriots this year.