What do the Vikings playoff chances look like after loss to Cowboys?

Playoff chances are dwindling for the Minnesota Vikings after their Week 11 loss.

Against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, the Minnesota Vikings had an opportunity to have a .500 record for the first time this season.

The odds seemed like they were in the Vikings’ favor too since they had won three games in a row, the matchup was taking place inside U.S. Bank Stadium, and the Cowboys had been playing like one of the worst teams in the NFL this year.

However, Minnesota left their home field on Sunday with a 31-28 loss to Dallas, and now the purple and gold are sitting with a 4-6 record.

Are the playoffs no longer possible for the Minnesota Vikings after Sunday’s loss?

Before their loss to the Cowboys, the Vikings were looking like one of the better teams in the league. Minnesota making a push towards the postseason was no longer a fantasy after they were able to put together three wins in a row following their bye in Week 7.

Now at 4-6, however, the road to the playoffs is going to be much harder for the Vikings. On the latest episode of The Viking Age Podcast, Dustin Baker and I discussed what it will take for Minnesota to earn a spot in the postseason for the second straight year.

With the Vikings suffering their sixth loss of the season on Sunday, FiveThirtyEight now has Minnesota with a 20 percent chance to make the playoffs this year, and Football Outsiders has the purple and gold’s postseason chances at 8.2 percent.

After their win over the Chicago Bears last week, FiveThirtyEight had the Vikings with a 37 percent chance to make the playoffs and Football Outsiders had their postseason odds at 19.9 percent. So Minnesota’s hopes of getting into the playoffs this year took a pretty significant hit with their loss to Dallas on Sunday.

Things were looking up for the Vikings after last week’s road win over the Bears. But after losing to the Cowboys, Minnesota is back to wondering if making the postseason is a realistic possibility.

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