Four reasons the Minnesota Vikings will win the NFC North

2)  The Remaining Schedule

One cannot simply point to the schedule as a reason for Minnesota’s four-game skid, but looking ahead to the final seven games, the schedule doesn’t seem to be so daunting. Of their remaining games, four of them will be home against Arizona, Dallas, Indianapolis, and Chicago, whereas the three road contests will take place in Jacksonville, Green Bay, and Detroit.

Yes, the sky appears to be as if it is falling over Winter Park, but ask yourself how many of those opponents are a clear notch above the Vikings aside from Dallas. With the exception of the Philadelphia and Chicago games, Minnesota was very much in position to stop the bleeding the past two weeks against the Lions and Redskins as their offense has functioned better … at least in the passing game.

With the way Green Bay has seen its season spiral out of control, it seems as if it will be the Vikings and Lions as the two teams that will battle it out for the NFC North crown. The Lions’ remaining schedule also features four home games (Chicago, Minnesota, Jacksonville, and Green Bay) and three road games (New Orleans, New York Giants, and Dallas). Could you make the argument that the Lions’ three road games are more challenging than Minnesota’s?

The Thanksgiving showdown between the Vikings and Lions may ultimately be what decides this division. Two weeks ago the Vikings had the game won against their division rivals, but a missed PAT courtesy of recently fired kicker Blair Walsh earlier in the action came back to haunt them as Detroit was able to force overtime on a last-second field goal and eventually win in overtime. If Sam Bradford and the offense can play at the same level (especially in the second half) as they did that day, then Minnesota should feel pretty good about their chances about going into the Motor City and coming away with a victory.