Despite losing three of their previous four heading into Week 11, the Minnesota Vikings still had a chance to get back to .500 for the fifth time this season with a win on Sunday over the Chicago Bears. And for a few minutes, it actually looked like Kevin O'Connell's crew was set to complete the season sweep of the Monsters of the Midway.
But that obviously didn't happen.
Just as he did in Week 1 against the Bears, J.J. McCarthy struggled for the vast majority of Sunday's matchup, connecting on only 10 of his first 24 passes for 74 yards and throwing two interceptions, bringing boos from the home crowd at U.S. Bank Stadium.
But with Minnesota trailing 16-10 late in the fourth quarter, the second-year signal-caller, just as he did in Week 1, stepped up when his team needed him the most, completing six of eight throws for 76 yards on the Vikings' final offensive drive, including his final five in consecutive fashion, with the last going for a 15-yard touchdown to Jordan Addison with 50 seconds remaining. One Will Reichard extra point later, and Minnesota had taken a one-point lead.
That lead, of course, didn't last long. On the ensuing kickoff, Devin Duvernay scampered 56 yards down to the Vikings' 40-yard line, and after gaining nine additional yards on a trio of running plays, the Bears got a 48-yard field goal from Cairo Santos as time expired to steal a 19-17 victory, marking Chicago's third fourth-quarter-comeback win in as many weeks.
With the loss, the Vikings fell to 4-6 for the year and are seeing their playoff hopes slip away.
The Minnesota Vikings fell out of the top 10 in the NFC standings with a Week 11 loss to the Bears
Here's a quick look at the entire NFC playoff picture heading into Week 12.
Updated NFC playoff picture
- Philadelphia Eagles (8-2, 1st NFC East)
- Los Angeles Rams (8-2, 1st NFC West)
- Chicago Bears (7-3, 1st NFC North)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-4, 1st NFC South)
- Seattle Seahawks (7-3, 2nd NFC West)
- Green Bay Packers (6-3-1, 2nd NFC North)
- San Francisco 49ers (7-4, 3rd NFC West)
- Detroit Lions (6-4, 3rd NFC North)
- Carolina Panthers (6-5, 2nd NFC South)
- Dallas Cowboys (4-5-1, 2nd NFC East)
- Minnesota Vikings (4-6, 4th NFC North)
- Arizona Cardinals (3-7, 4th NFC West)
- Atlanta Falcons (3-7, 3rd NFC South)
- Washington Commanders (3-8, 3rd NFC East)
- New Orleans Saints (2-8, 4th NFC South)
- New York Giants (2-9, 4th NFC East)
As you can see, the Vikings now sit in 11th place in the conference standings, dropping one spot from where they were a week ago, as they traded places with the Dallas Cowboys, who moved into 10th with a win on Monday night over the Las Vegas Raiders. Minnesota will meet America's Team in Week 15.
First, however, the Vikes have three weeks of games with the Green Bay Packers, the Seattle Seahawks, and the Washington Commanders. And they might just have to win all three, as they're currently three wins behind the San Francisco 49ers, who hold the No. 7 slot at 7-4. And the Niners have a very favorable schedule over the next few weeks, with matchups against the Carolina Panthers, the Cleveland Browns (then a bye), and the Tennessee Titans.
Minnesota is also now three games behind the first-place Bears in the NFC North. However, with so many games between the four teams still set to be contested, a division title, however unlikely, is still technically within reach for the Vikings, who have both of their games with the Packers left to play, as well as one with the Lions, whom they've already beaten once and will look to sweep in Week 17 on Christmas Day.
There's still a glimmer of hope for the Vikes, but it's dimming with each passing week.