How bad are the Vikings playoff chances after their loss to the Bucs?
By Adam Patrick
Could the Minnesota Vikings still end up in the playoffs this season?
Against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, the Minnesota Vikings had a great opportunity. Not only would a win over the Bucs have been impressive, but it would’ve moved the Vikings into the No. 6 spot in the NFC playoffs standings.
Instead, Minnesota came up short in Tampa thanks to their kicker aiming for the stands among a handful of other problems.
With the loss, the Vikings are now sitting with a 6-7 record and they’re holding onto the No. 8 seed in the NFC postseason standings with three games left on their schedule.
Don’t give up on the Minnesota Vikings making the playoffs just yet
In the NFL, a lot can happen over the course of three games, and this unpredictability is bound to continue during the final weeks of the current season.
Minnesota’s playoff chances certainly took a hit with their loss to Tampa Bay on Sunday. But the Vikings can still sneak into the postseason this year which was something that was explored on the latest episode of The Viking Age Podcast.
Following the result in Tampa, FiveThirtyEight now has Minnesota’s playoff chances at 20 percent and Football Outsiders has their odds at 15.3 percent.
The Vikings’ chance to get in the postseason can change very quickly though. If they can defeat the Chicago Bears next week and the Arizona Cardinals fall to the Philadelphia Eagles, then FiveThirtyEight has Minnesota’s playoff odds shooting back up to 54 percent.
Next Sunday’s matchup against the Bears is very important and it won’t be easy for the Vikings to come away with a win. Chicago is also still in the hunt for a postseason berth with a 6-7 record and they’re coming off a 29-point victory over the Houston Texans.
Minnesota has already defeated the Bears once this year, so hopefully the purple and gold can complete the season sweep next weekend. If not, the Vikings will probably need a miracle to end up in this year’s playoffs.
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