Assessing the Vikings' current playoff picture after Week 13
The Minnesota Vikings (6-6) spent Week 13 on its much-needed bye, but that didn't stop them from moving up in the NFC playoff picture.Minnesota went into the week holding down the No. 7 seed, but the Seattle Seahawks' loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday Night Football allowed the Vikes to jump up a spot. […]
The Minnesota Vikings (6-6) spent Week 13 on its much-needed bye, but that didn't stop them from moving up in the NFC playoff picture.
Minnesota went into the week holding down the No. 7 seed, but the Seattle Seahawks' loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday Night Football allowed the Vikes to jump up a spot. Seattle, on the other hand, is now sitting at No. 9 thanks to their 6-6 record.
The Vikings will go up against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 14, which is a very winnable game. Meaning, there's a very good chance they strengthen their hold on the sixth seed. However, they have to figure out their quarterback situation before they can start thinking about winning games. The good news is the Raiders also have an iffy QB situation, themselves.
The rest of the Vikings' schedule is tough, but not impossible
The rest of Minnesota's schedule, outside of the Raiders matchup, shakes out like this:
- Week 15: at Cincinnati Bengals
- Week 16: vs. Detroit Lions
- Week 17: vs. Green Bay Packers
- Week 18: at Detroit Lions
The Bengals game is also a winnable one, obviously. Those last three matchups, particularly the ones with the Lions, are a much different story, however.
The Packers are currently on fire and they look like a playoff team, even if the Vikings trounced them by double-digits back in October. In fact, that loss is what sparked the Packers to go on the run they've been on over the last month and change. It'll be very interesting to see how the Vikings matchup in that game, which could be a deciding battle for one of the Wild Card spots.
The Lions are essentially a lock to win the NFC North at this point unless something absolutely crazy happens and they'll probably have the division wrapped up by the time Week 16 rolls around. The Vikings can still play the thorn-in-the-Lions-side role, though, and we are talking about division rivals, here. Teams aren't just going to lay down in these kinds of games, no matter what the circumstances may be.
In all, the Vikings have the eighth-hardest remaining strength of schedule heading into these last five games. It won't be easy, but if they figure out the QB situation and the defense keeps playing tough, then there's a shot they end up in the playoffs for the second straight year under Kevin O'Connell.
