Is the Vikings Season Over?

Week 11 Keys to a Vikings Win
Nov 22, 2020; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) catches a pass for a touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Dallas Cowboys defensive back Anthony Brown (30) at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

As we come to Week 10 in the NFL–the beginning of the second half of this 17-game season–the Vikings season has been an all-too-routine roller coaster ride. The inconsistent play on both sides of the ball, sprinkled with brief moments of football brilliance, has become a familiar trend with the Minnesota Vikings teams of recent years. Sitting at 3-5, the Vikings are 4.5 games behind the NFC North-leading Green Bay Packers, but only 1 game out of the final Wild Card spot that is currently controlled by the Atlanta Falcons. The Vikings have been able to accumulate quality wins over the Carolina Panthers and Seattle Seahawks (giving Minnesota the head-to-head tie-break), while remaining competitive in every game they have been in this year. This leaves many to wonder, are there playoff hopes in Minnesota or is the Vikings season over?

This may be a hard pill for cynical fans and NFL analyst around the league to swallow, but the answer is no. In fact, the Vikings find themselves in a more than favorable position to make a playoff push.

With 9 games remaining in the Vikings season, Minnesota sits at 9th place in the NFC. The Vikings face the 10th hardest schedule the rest of the way. Not ideal, but with 5 divisional games remaining on their schedule (2 GB, 2 CHI, 1 DET) and a 1-0 divisional record, the Vikings control their own destiny if the NFC Wild Card should come down to a tie-break scenario. Let’s dig deeper into the other NFC Wild Card hopefuls and see how, in many regards, the Vikings are in good–not great, but good–shape moving forward:

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New Orleans Saints (currently 6th place): The Saints sit at 5-3, but with major questions at quarterback after a season-ending injury to Jameis Winston. A 27-25 loss to Atlanta on Sunday left the Saints at 1-2 in their division. With the 11th hardest schedule the rest of the way, the Saints look poised to ride out the season with the likes of Trevor Siemian and Taysom Hill at QB.

Atlanta Falcons (currently 7th place): The Falcons up-and-down play has earned them a 4-4 record overall and 1-2 division record, and have the 22nd hardest schedule the rest of the way. With 3 of those games coming against Wild Card hopefuls (NO, CAR, SF), the Falcons also find themselves in control of their own destiny.

Carolina Panthers (currently 8th place): The Vikings hold the head-to-head tie-break against Carolina after defeating the Panthers 34-28 in Week 6. Carolina also has a tough road ahead. With the 4th hardest remaining schedule, the Panthers will play Arizona, Tampa Bay twice, and Buffalo–all division leaders. After falling 24-6 to New England on Sunday, Carolina is on its own respective slide (1-5 in its last 6 games, 4-5 overall) that has led to escalating tempers in the Panthers locker room.

Seattle Seahawks (currently 10th place): After defeating Seattle 30-17 in Week 3, the Vikings also hold the head-to-head tie-breaker over the 3-5 Seahawks. However, with Russell Wilson primed to return as early as this week, a second-half playoff push by the Seahawks is more than plausible. Although they hold the 15th hardest schedule moving forward, Seattle has 4 divisional games remaining (ARI twice, LA, SF) in what many consider the strongest division in the NFL, the NFC West.

San Francisco 49ers (Currently 11th place): The 49ers 3-5 record is also a by-product of the highly-competitive NFC West division (0-3 division record). With the 14th hardest remaining schedule, San Francisco still faces the Rams twice, Seattle, and the Falcons. Oh, and a Week 12 match-up against Minnesota could have huge implications on the Vikings seasons.

After coming off back-to-back heart-breaking losses to the Ravens and Cowboys, far too many fans and analysts are ready to close the book on the Vikings season. But the Vikings division record, head-to-head victories, and competitions remaining schedules have the Vikings primed to make a playoff push. In fact, the Vikings have a 27% chance of making the playoffs, per FiveThirtyEight. That is a higher percentage than every Wild Card contender outside of New Orleans (65%) and Seattle (30%), whom both face QB questions moving forward.

If you look past the 3-5 record and the bad beats, the Vikings this season have been a highly competitive out for all of their opponents. From that perspective, the league needs to start recognizing Minnesota as a strong Wild Card contender and one that many teams do not want to see come come December and January.



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