Vikings can double their playoff chances with a win over the Bucs
By Adam Patrick
A win on Sunday would be huge for the Minnesota Vikings.
During the past six weeks, the Minnesota Vikings have climbed their way back to a .500 record, and now they’ve found themselves in contention for a playoff spot.
With four games left on their schedule, the Vikings are currently in control of the No. 7 seed in the NFC. But a lot can change in four weeks, so a postseason berth is far from a guarantee for Minnesota this year.
Clinching a spot in the playoffs will become much easier for the Vikings this week if they can come out with a win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
How much would a win this week increase the playoff chances of the Minnesota Vikings?
Heading into Sunday’s matchup on the road with the Bucs, FanDuel currently has the Vikings as a 6.5-point underdog. Despite Tampa Bay only having one more win than Minnesota this season, oddsmakers clearly believe this contest might result in an easy win for Tom Brady and the Bucs.
FanSided’s Josh Hill is someone who is also confident in Tampa Bay getting a victory over the Vikings on Sunday. Hill shared his thoughts on the matchup during the most recent episode of The Viking Age Podcast.
A win for Minnesota this weekend would do wonders for their playoff chances this season. According to FiveThirtyEight, the Vikings’ playoff chances would increase from 40 percent to more than 70 percent with a victory over the Bucs on Sunday.
A win plus losses by both the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers would result in Minnesota’s playoff chances increasing all the way to 80 percent.
So we already knew that a victory on Sunday would help the Vikings in their effort to get into the postseason. But thanks to FiveThirtyEight, we now know just how large of an impact a win would have on Minnesota’s playoff chances.
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