Vikings drop to No. 3 seed after gut punch from Packers: Positives and negatives as playoffs near
MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesota Vikings fans woke up Monday morning to the cold reminder that their beloved team just got smacked by a surging division rival. Now what?
First off, some positives.
Despite the devastating punch delivered by the Green Bay Packers at an unforgiving Lambeau Field on Sunday, the Vikings haven't been knocked out by any means - and have actually overperformed for the season.
At 12-4, they're the NFC North champions with a solid lock on the No. 3 seed for the playoffs. Not bad for what the first-year general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah called a "competitive rebuild" year, following 2021's lackluster 8-9 season without a playoff appearance.
With the No. 3 seed, the Vikings will host the first round of the playoffs at home in U.S. Bank Stadium, where they've won eight out of nine games this year. The uproarious crowd in Minneapolis isn't to be discounted.
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As the playoff picture stands right now, the Vikings will host the New York Giants, who have just locked in the No. 6 seed in the NFC. As you may remember, the Vikings beat the Giants on Christmas Eve 27-24. For a first-round opponent in the playoffs, this isn't a bad matchup for Minnesota.
Lastly, this team is known to bounce back from these types of shellackings suffered Sunday. After the 7-24 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, the Vikings beat the Detroit Lions. After the 3-40 loss to the Cowboys, Minnesota beat the New England Patriots four days later.
Now, for a dash of reality.
Regaining the No. 2 seed will be tough and help will be needed.
If the Vikings get the No. 2 back, they'd potentially be able to host at least two games in the playoffs - if they make it past the first round.
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In order to regain the No. 2 seed, the Vikings would need two things to happen in the last week of the regular season: A Vikings' win over the Chicago Bears and the dominant San Francisco 49ers (12-4) losing to a hapless Arizona Cardinals team (4-12).
It doesn't seem very likely, but there's still a chance.
Which NFC North rival would we rather have in the playoffs, the Detroit Lions or the Packers? We've split wins with each team this year, and both are looking strong heading into the final game.
The Packers would just need to win against the Lions (and they're at home), while the Lions would need a win plus a Seattle Seahawks' loss.
As of now, there's still a lot to shake out for the playoff picture to become clear, so stay tuned on that.
Another thing to watch closely is the health of the Vikings' offensive line.
Part of what made Sunday's game so hard to watch was the loss of backup center Austin Schlottmann, and the subsequent blunders made by the third-stringer Chris Reed due to poor communication.
To make matters worse, right tackle Brian O'Neill - who is considered a top lineman in the league - was also injured and his status remains unclear heading into the final week. Hopefully he can at least make it back for the playoffs.
One silver lining is that starting center Garrett Bradbury, who has done well this year, seems to be working his way back from injury and signs are pointing to him being ready for the playoffs.
Unfortunately, wide receiver Justin Jefferson's chances to break the NFL single-season receiving yards record look tough. After being limited to just 15 yards against the Packers, he'll need 194 yards in the last game of the season to break the record. Those numbers are not improbable for Jefferson to achieve in most other matchups, but to keep him healthy for the playoffs, it's unlikely he'll be utilized much in this last regular season game.
Meanwhile, legitimate questions surround the Vikings' defense. If they keep giving up monster yards to opposing offenses, Minnesota's playoff appearance will be very short.
In the end, it's hard not to acknowledge the lopsided losses this season and ponder why they happen. Is it coaching? Does the competitive drive dissipate after a series of costly mistakes? Either way, it puts into question the sustainability of this team during the knockout phase of the season.
Before that begins, it'll be interesting to see how head coach Kevin O'Connell handles the final regular season game against the Bears, and if he'll rest most - or all - of the starters.
Will we know any more about this team heading into the playoffs? Time will tell.
The Vikings take on the Bears at noon Sunday.
