Now that the NFL regular season has come to an end, the most exciting part of the season is upon us: the post-season playoffs. The playoffs are where the biggest of fans either gather in stadiums packed to the brim, or sit down with friends and family to cheer on their favorite teams and hope that a Super Bowl win will be coming their way. This year, a few teams have come back for yet another playoff appearance, and also some teams have the chance to show that they have what it takes to make it with the “Big Boys” of the league. The first and second round of the playoffs have been extra packed with upsets and close games.

First off, the teams that made it to the playoffs this year were mostly expected to make it. From the AFC, the teams that made the playoffs were the: Tennessee Titans, Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars, Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots. From the NFC was the: Atlanta Falcons, Los Angeles Rams, New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers, Philadelphia Eagles and the Minnesota Vikings. All teams played Wild Card weekend, except the Vikings, Steelers, Eagles and Patriots. The Eagles placed #1 in the league, with a record of 13-3, and tied with the Vikings for best in the NFC,  also with a record of 13-3. The Patriots and Steelers tied for best in the AFC with records of 13-3 too.

In the wild card games, the Titans took on the Chiefs, and won in a close game 22-21. The Falcons took on the Rams, and won 26-13. The Jaguars and Bills played a slow-paced game, and the Jaguars came out with the 10-3 win over Buffalo. The final wild card game was between the Saints and the Panthers. The game came down to a Panthers defeat when the Saints were able to gain a 31-26 win over Carolina.

The divisional round of this year’s playoffs contained lots of surprises. On Saturday, January 13th, the Eagles were able to come back and defeat the Falcons in a 15-10 victory, and the Patriots used Tom Brady to crush the Titans 35-14.

On Sunday, the Jaguars were able to defeat the Steelers in a high-scoring game 45-42.

The last game of the divisional round was the hometown Vikings against Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints. The Vikings went into halftime up 17-0, and most thought that was going to be the game. Drew Brees was able to come back and take a 24-23 lead though. In the last 16 seconds of the game, quarterback Case Keenum threw a 61-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Stefon Diggs to win the game. The play is now known as the “Minneapolis Miracle.”

This year’s playoffs have seen a crazy bunch of games, and fans are closing in to see the super bowl matchup. As a Vikings fan myself, I am hoping that the Vikings can come home and win our very first Super Bowl in our home stadium.

Minneapolis will be hosting Super Bowl LII in the new U.S. Bank Stadium, Sunday, February 4 at 5:30 PM CT. The Super Bowl is the final game of the NFL season, played every year for the past 52 years in a different state, and is the biggest annual sporting event in America according to Sports Illustrated. This is the second time Minneapolis has hosted a Super Bowl; they also hosted Super Bowl XXVI in 1992.

It was first announced that Minnesota would be hosting in 2018 in 2013, just after the Minnesota Vikings went 5-10-1 (5 wins, 10 losses, and 1 tie in a season). Since then, the team has improved tremendously, going 7-9, 11-5, and 8-8 in 2014, 2015, and 2016 respectively (Check out Pro Football Reference for more stats).

We will not know who will be competing in the Super Bowl until the end of the playoffs, which continue on January 13, and end on January 21. It is possible that the Vikings, who are headed to the playoffs with a win-loss ratio of 13-3, will make it to this Super Bowl, and as MPR reported, it would be the first time in over 25 years that a Super Bowl participant would be competing in their own state.

As MPR points out, if the Vikings can survive the playoffs by defeating the New Orleans Saints, and then winning their conference championship game, they will become the first franchise in NFL history to play a Super Bowl in their hometown. It would be the team’s fifth Super Bowl (their last was in 1977), having won not a single previous one.

But, while this may sound nice to Vikings fans, to the organizers of Super Bowl LII, it could create a great “headache,” according to Sports Illustrated. Hosting a Super Bowl is already a technical feat, but the logistical problems that would arise from the Vikings reaching the Super Bowl would make it even more impressive. Just by making it this far, the Vikings must host a divisional-round game at home on January 14, making it the first time a Super Bowl host city has also hosted a divisional-round game, and if Philadelphia loses, the Vikings will also host the NFC title game. According to CBS Minnesota, Downtown Minneapolis will be revoking parking permits in the area on the day of the game, in order to free-up parking space for attendees. If the Vikings do make it to the Super Bowl, the facilities which they, and their competitors use, will have to be swapped, to allow the Vikings to use their home facility as noted by Sports Illustrated.

The Super Bowl is more than just an annual football game and cultural event. For local and national businesses, it is a big commercial opportunity. It receives 100 million American viewers annually, more than three times more than the Oscars, the second largest TV event in America. Thus, the cost of a Super Bowl advertisement is roughly $5 million for a thirty-second spot, not including PR, digital promotion or contests. In total, a good campaign can cost around $10 million, according to Forbes. A pop-up marketplace called North Local Market, displaying over 20 local brands, will be set up in City Center in downtown Minneapolis, from January 26 through the Super Bowl (for more information see  the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal).

But, not everyone is happy with the Super Bowl. According to the Minneapolis StarTribune, A coalition group has organized a protest march on the day of the game, from Peavey Park to U.S. Bank Stadium, in a route as of yet unrevealed. Activist Jess Sundin, a head organizer, said she expects to see “several hundred protesters.” They will be protesting against, in their own words, the “racism and corporate greed,” they perceive in the Super Bowl and the various side-acts connected to it.

Individuals interested in attending Super Bowl LII, who do not already have tickets, will be disappointed; the going price on StubHub, one month away from the game, is upwards of $3,200. Fortunately though, according to MPR, the Super Bowl host committee has announced Super Bowl Live, a 10-day festival leading up to Super Bowl Sunday. It will be held outside in Nicollet Mall, and will include free concerts, ice sculptures, and food.

The Vikings must win only two more games in order to make it to Super Bowl LII, and fans will be impatiently waiting until they next play. If they do make it, it will be a historic moment for the Vikings, the NFL, and Minnesota. If they win the Super Bowl, it will be a historic moment for American sports history in general.