Sunday’s Game Has Almighty Stakes for the Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are an every-other-week team in 2025, resulting in a 4-5 record through 10 weeks. Now, with the Chicago Bears rolling into the Twin Cities this weekend, the purple team faces a quasi-elimination game, believe it or not.
Sunday’s matchup carries massive implications for the Vikings, as their playoff hopes and season momentum could hinge on the outcome at U.S. Bank Stadium.
If the goal remains to reach the postseason — that’s still attainable — Minnesota must take down Chicago on Sunday. Plain and simple.
Vikings’ Backs against the Wall vs. Bears
It is go-time, and there’s just no way around it.
Falling to 4-6 Would Shrink Vikings’ Margin for Error to One Loss
The NFC has no truly elite teams through 10 weeks — sans an argument for the Seattle Seahawks — instead showcasing nine teams with a .500 record or better. The cream-of-the-crop teams in the NFC are good, not great.
Nine teams — the Vikings would make it 10 — are in the hunt for the postseason, a larger-than-usual number in November. Therefore, for Minnesota to sneak into the dance or even get hot enough to win the NFC North, the team must finish the season with a 6-2 record or better.
That’s the penalty for losing a winnable game last Sunday at home against the Ravens.
A 9-8 record won’t do the trick this season in the NFC — or, if it does, it will have meant that at least three or four teams faceplanted in the second half.
Minnesota can only lose two more games to keep the playoffs alive. They must win at home against the Bears, or the margin will dwindle to one loss.
NFC Playoff Field Basically Already Spoken For
These standings are what Minnesota must battle in the next eight weeks:
- Eagles (7-2)
- Seahawks (7-2)
- Lions (6-3)
- Buccaneers (6-3)
- Rams (7-2)
- Bears (6-3)
- Packers (5-3-1)
- 49ers (6-4)
- Panthers (5-5)
- Vikings (4-5)
Three of those teams will miss the dance altogether. The Vikings must hope a team like Chicago fades — beating them on Sunday will help — and a club like the 49ers stumbles, something that may occur due to so many injuries. In a normal year, Minnesota could flirt with postseason contention while boasting a 9-8 record or so.
This year will probably require 10-7 or better.
6-6 by December 6th
Let’s assume Minnesota loses again at home this weekend, falling to the Bears, a team that is actually quite overdue to topple the Vikings. Minnesota has won eight of the last nine meetings against Chicago.
If Kevin O’Connell’s team loses in Week 11, then all margin for error is toast. The Vikings would have to win in Week 12 against the Packers on the road, following up that dub with another at Seattle. Thankfully, after the upcoming Bears-Packers-Seahawks stretch, the gauntlet lessens.
To start December, Minnesota will face Washington, Dallas, and New York (Giants) — all winnable contests.
Therefore, the club must be 6-6 at the start of December to keep postseason hopes afloat.
Of course, beating Chicago this weekend is the easiest set of the upcoming Bears-Packers-Seahawks threesome.
Oddsmakers Like the Vikings
Almost strangely, because Minnesota has a 4-5 record to Chicago’s 6-3, sportsbooks pick the purple team this week. They believe the Vikings will prevail by 3.5 points.
This is probably more an indictment of Chicago, a club with the NFL’s second-worst strength of victory through 10 weeks. On average, the opponents Chicago has toppled have won 27% of their games. All of Chicago’s wins have come against teams trending to finish 4-13 or 5-12 this season.
That might explain the favorable point spread.
NFL.com on the Bears
Naming Ben Johnson’s team the 16th-best in the league, Eric Edholm wrote this week, “Things were not looking good when the Bears turned the ball over on downs midway through the fourth quarter, trailing 20-10 to the lowly Giants, who were without starting QB Jaxson Dart (concussion) for the final 15 minutes.”
“But Caleb Williams rebounded from a slew of dropped passes to lead two thrilling TD drives in the final six minutes and pull off his fourth fourth-quarter comeback of the season. Williams gave the Giants fits by scrambling out of would-be sacks and making big plays on the move.”
Caleb Williams has a 0-3 record to date in his career when his team faces Minnesota.
“The Bears have done a great job protecting the ball with only three turnovers since Week 3, allowing them to accumulate the league’s best turnover ratio on the season — by far — at plus-14. That’s a big reason why the Bears have won six of their past seven games,” Edholm added.
“You can argue they haven’t beaten a great team yet, but a stiff remaining schedule will give them multiple opportunities to do so down the stretch.”
Minnesota still hasn’t lost a game in the NFC North.
You must be logged in to post a comment.