Minnesota Vikings playoff scenarios: Week 14

The Minnesota Vikings lost another game, but their playoff hopes are very much still alive after Week 14. 

It doesn’t seem like that long ago that the Minnesota Vikings were in first place in the NFC North, but the NFL is a current that shifts quickly. Minnesota was embarrassed by Seattle last week and suffered another loss to an NFC West team on Thursday night in Arizona.

But while things are gloomy in Minnesota right now, there is still a lot of hope when it comes to their playoff chances. Minnesota is still in possession of a Wild Card spot even after their loss in Arizona, but the noose tightened significantly entering Sunday’s slate of games.

Seattle is hot on Minnesota’s tail at 7-5, and would flip spots with the Vikings should they beat the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. That’s very possible since the Ravens are a dumpster fire mess, and Seattle seems to be hitting their stride. The most likely scenario for the Vikings is that they fall to the No. 6 seed in the NFC playoff picture if Seattle wins on Sunday.

That then trips a wire throughout the NFC which is bad news for Minnesota. Tampa Bay is the first team on the outside of the postseason looking in at 6-6 — and a win over New Orleans putting them a game behind Seattle and Minnesota. That would put stress on both Seattle and Minnesota, more so Minnesota since they don’t have a tie-breaker over the Seahawks.

Minnesota is a few weeks away from clinching a playoff berth, as they’re closer to falling out of the bubble than punching their ticket. A loss by Seattle and Tampa Bay would go a long way to resting the conscious of Vikings fans — with a loss by Green Bay being a real bonus as it keeps a division title potentially alive.