Best of the rest: Ranking the 5 biggest NFC challengers for the Eagles

The defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles are the lone one-loss team in the NFL. Can anyone in the conference push them in the postseason?

Nov 5, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) reacts / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

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4. Minnesota Vikings (6-5)

A year ago, Kevin O’Connell made his NFL head-coaching debut and the Minnesota Vikings were NFC North champions for the first time since 2017. The team finished 13-4 and managed to win plenty of close games. However, despite a nine-game advantage in the win-loss column, the club actually gave up more points (427) than it scored (424). The team was knocked off at home by the Giants in the first round of the playoffs.

This season, the Purple Gang got off to a 0-3 start. However, despite a heartbreaking 22-20 loss on Sunday night at Denver, the Vikings are not only in the thick of the NFC playoff race but in the hunt to defend their division title. O’Connell’s squad owns a 6-5 record and is currently under the command of Josh Dobbs. He’s Minnesota’s third different starting quarterback behind Kirk Cousins, out for the rest of the season (Achilles) and Jaren Hall.

Besides the loss of Cousins, the biggest difference from a year ago has been the steady improvement of Brian Flores’ defense. He inherited the league’s 31st-ranked unit from 2022 and has made a difference.

As mentioned, the Vikings still have a shot at another NFC North title. They face the first-place Lions twice in the final three weeks of the season.

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