The Vikings Have a Magic Number
The Minnesota Vikings climbed to a 10-2 record on Sunday, chipping off the Arizona Cardinals by a point at U.S. Bank Stadium.
The Vikings Have a Magic Number
The club now has a 99.8% probability of reaching the postseason per ESPN’s Football Power Index, which is quite mind-boggling because Minnesota was scheduled to win six or seven games, according to oddsmakers, when the season began, and it has conducted the winning ways without players like J.J. McCarthy, Christian Darrisaw, and Mekhi Blackmon.
Adversity has not fazed the Vikings, and the reward for their troubles is a magic number. Minnesota needs three items to occur this weekend — or pretty much whenever — to stamp a ticket to the playoffs.
Here’s the scenario for Week 14.
Beat the Falcons
Probably the coolest game on the Vikings’ 2024 schedule because of the Kirk Cousins personal “revenge” angle, Minnesota hosts Atlanta this Sunday and is favored to win by 4.5 points.
The Falcons have utterly encountered a rough patch, led by Cousins at the top of the ticket, who has tossed 6 interceptions and zero touchdowns in the last three games. Vikings fans know Cousins rarely has four stinkers in a row, so Brian Flores’ men better bring their A-game.
The Vikings can take care of business in the early afternoon window on Sunday and then kick back and monitor the following two magic number items.
Bills Beat Rams
Buffalo is cruising in 2024, locking up the AFC East on December 1st — if that can be believed.
Minnesota will ask Josh Allen and friends to defeat the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium at 3:25 pm CST on Sunday, and if they oblige the request, the Vikings will be one step closer to clinching a Wildcard seed — at minimum — in the January postseason tournament.
Like Minnesota, Buffalo is favored by 4.5 points.
It’s worth noting, however, that the Rams are desperate and are virtually required to win this weekend to keep their own Wildcard hopes afloat.
Seahawks Beat Cardinals
Vikings fans are familiar with the Cardinals, as Minnesota just survived Jonathan Gannon’s team at home in Week 13.
Now, a Cardinals loss is once again on the wishlist, and if Minnesota topples Atlanta while the Bills down the Rams, the final leg of the faux parlay is Seahawks over Cardinals. All three events happening in the Vikings’ favor would toss Minnesota into the postseason by dinnertime Sunday evening.
And, in Week 16, Kevin O’Connell’s group will get an intimate test with the Seahawks, traveling to Seattle for what could be a playoff preview.
The magic number is three. If one or more of these games plays out against the Vikings’ favor, a similar scenario will be renewed in Week 15.
One Viking Will Be Back This Weekend
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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