It hasn’t been particularly pretty in recent weeks — and Sunday’s game in Chicago was no exception — but the Minnesota Vikings have quietly become the best team that nobody’s talking about in regards to the NFC playoff picture.
Minnesota did it again in Week 12, surviving the Bears in overtime to improve to 9-2 in the NFC North. The Vikings kept pace with their division rival Detroit Lions (10-1), who prevailed in a somewhat difficult spot on the road in Indianapolis five days before their big afternoon home game on Thanksgiving. The Vikes will remain the No. 5 seed entering Week 13, but they’re still very much in the hunt for the No. 1 seed, with a head-to-head game at Detroit in Week 18.
The Vikings were also able to apply some pressure on the Philadelphia Eagles, the current No. 2 seed who take an 8-2 record into Sunday Night Football against the Los Angeles Rams (5-5). A Philadelphia loss at SoFi stadium would boost the Vikings’ chances at the top seed, which sat at 14% entering Week 12.
MORE: NFL picks, score predictions for Week 12: Philadelphia Eagles vs. Los Angeles
Minnesota has all but ensured itself a playoff berth at this point. Its odds to clinch at least one of the three wild-card spots jumped to 98% after John Parker Romo’s game-winning kick went through the uprights in Chicago on Sunday.
The Vikings have now strung together four straight wins. They haven’t faced the NFL’s toughest competition, but they did win road games in each of the past three weeks. That’s a pretty impressive feat in a rare scheduling quirk.
The reward? Minnesota plays four of its final six games at home, including the next three in a row. Detroit, meanwhile, after hosting Chicago on Thanksgiving, has a tough stretch against Green Bay (home), Buffalo (home), Chicago (road) and San Francisco (road) before Week 18 at home against the Vikings. That regular-season finale could easily be played with the division title and No. 1 seed on the line.
Minnesota probably won’t get much love on Monday morning. The Vikings took a 24-10 lead into the fourth quarter Sunday before bearing down and white-knuckling their way to an overtime win.
But it’s also plausible that the Vikings end up atop the entire NFC standings come playoff time, with everyone outside of the Twin Cities wondering: “Where the heck did they come from?”
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