The Vikings Have an Updated Magic Number
Heading into Week 14, the Minnesota Vikings possessed a “magic number” of three, meaning three game outcomes needed to occur for the purple team to stamp a postseason ticket.
The Vikings Have an Updated Magic Number
Two items came to fruition: the Vikings toppled the Atlanta Cardinals at home, while the Seattle Seahawks did Minnesota a favor and beat the Arizona Cardinals.
But the Los Angeles Rams upset the Buffalo Bills after some curious late-game clock management and playcalling, delaying Minnesota’s postseason admission by at least one week.
The new magic number is one. The Vikings can either beat the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football, or four days before the event, hope the Rams lose to the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday Night Football. Those are the scenarios heading into Week 15.
San Francisco is a 2.5-point favorite heading into Week 15, and if it chips off Los Angeles at home, well, Minnesota can celebrate the postseason entry well before Monday Night Football. Otherwise, the Vikings are 6.5-point favorites to take down the Bears at home.
Meanwhile, the possible playoff opponents for Minnesota continue to take shape. In mathematic order, these are the Vikings’ most probably playoff opponents with the tournament five weeks away:
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Atlanta Falcons
- Seattle Seahawks
- Los Angeles Rams
- Arizona Cardinals
- San Francisco 49ers
It’s worth noting that the 49ers probably have to run the table to reach the postseason, and onlookers should consider the Buccaneers or Falcons the most likely playoff opponent for the Vikings in Round 1. The winner of the NFC South will probably host Kevin O’Connell’s team in the Wildcard Round.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell said about his team’s recent dub over the Falcons, “What it was, in my opinion, was an incredible growth moment for him to just come back the next week and start stacking some things that are kind of leading into a layered kind of success type approach, which is what happened to a lot of quarterbacks in this league, especially the ones that their trajectory over the course of a season or their career is pointing sky high.”
“This day will be something he can build off of — I truly do believe that. And our offense, there’s a lot of things we’ll be able to highlight, about who we want to be about as a football team that will show up on tape,” O’Connell added.
He and his men watch Thursday Night Football somewhat intently, and if the 49ers don’t deliver, Minnesota can top Chicago in Week 15 for a playoff ticket.
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.
You must be logged in to post a comment.