Everyone knows the Vikings will play host to the New York Giants next Sunday but we don't know is what game will be picked to be the Sunday night contest on NBC. And that's a big deal considering the Vikings playoff position could be up in the air heading into the final weekend.

NFL spokesman Dan Masonson said in an e-mail that a Sunday night game must be selected by the league by Tuesday but could be determined as early as this evening. It's not that we expect the Vikings-Giants to be moved as much as the fact a Cowboys-Eagles matchup that could decide the NFC East might be played in prime time.

That game has the potential to impact the Vikings and thus would mean the Vikings might not know where they would end up seeded in the NFL's postseason tournament until that game was done. This is all very fluid, of course, because if the Vikings win their final two games they will be in extremely good shape and shouldn't have to worry about anyone.

Well, I guess they could worry about whether a Panthers team without wide receiver Steve Smith (broken arm) can beat New Orleans and thus enable the Vikings to jump past the Saints into the No. 1 seed.