Week 7 Is A Must Win For The Minnesota Vikings
By Adam Carlson
It’s not very often that I say something like this, but if the Minnesota Vikings don’t win on Sunday they could be in serious trouble this NFL season.
Week 7 is a little early to be getting nervous about a team’s playoff chances and many folks didn’t peg the Minnesota Vikings as a playoff caliber team in the first place this year. However, with a struggling NFC North, Minnesota is still sitting in a position where if they can rattle off a few wins, they could be right back in the hunt.
Sep 28, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater (5) celebrates his touchdown with running back Matt Asiata (44) during the second quarter against the Atlanta Falcons at TCF Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Right now, the Vikings are 2-4. They’ve managed to defeat the St. Louis Rams and the Atlanta Falcons. Neither of those teams are bad teams, but they’ve lost some pretty lopsided games as well. Most notably, the last two weeks the Vikings were outscored by a total of 59-13 in a pair of games against Detroit and Green Bay (two division rivals) that felt like would never end.
However, things do get a bit easier for the Minnesota Vikings now. Here is a list of their next three opponents:
- Week 7: at Buffalo Bills (3-3)
- Week 8: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-5)
- Week 9: vs Washington Redskins (1-5)
Those three teams combine for a record of 5-13. This list is even more interesting when you realize that the only team Washington beat was the 0-6 Jacksonville Jaguars. However, the other two team’s records are a little deceiving. Both Buffalo and Tampa Bay have had pretty brutal schedules so far and could look worse than they really are because of the level of competition they’ve played against.
But if the Minnesota Vikings hope to get back on track, a win during week 7 is essential. They really aren’t that far out of battling for the division crown, but a loss would distance themselves from the teams currently sitting at the top.
Oct 12, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh (90) and defensive tackle Nick Fairley (98) sack Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater (5) in the fourth quarter at TCF Bank Stadium. The Lions win 17-3. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
Here are the NFC North standings currently:
- Detroit Lions (4-2)
- Green Bay Packers (4-2)
- Chicago Bears (3-3)
- Minnesota Vikings (2-4)
While Minnesota is currently in last place in their division, they don’t face a team with a winning record until week 11 of their season when the Green Bay Packers come to town. That is the good news for a team that is struggling to find an identity on offense this year. The bad news is that these games are by no means automatic victories and you never know which Minnesota Vikings team will show up on gameday.