Vikings schedule: Minnesota must take advantage of their next 3 games

From an overall standpoint, the NFC North has been the best division in the NFL this season. And to prove just how competitive things are, look no further than the fact that the Minnesota Vikings nearly went from an undefeated first-place team to a two-loss last-place team in just one week.

The Vikes, of course, fell out of first place with their Week 7 loss to the Detroit Lions, who remained in first place with a Week 8 win over the Tennessee Titans, improving to 6-1.

After losing to the Los Angeles Rams this past Thursday, Minnesota, now 5-2, fell to third place following Sunday's early slate when the Green Bay Packers knocked off the Jacksonville Jaguars with their second consecutive last-second victory, thus improving to 6-2.

Just a few hours later, it looked as if the Vikings were set to drop into last place as a Chicago Bears victory over the Washington Commanders would've made that a reality, given the NFL tiebreaker rules. That obviously didn't happen, as Washington pulled off a miracle with Jayden Daniels' improbable Hail Mary to Noah Brown, thus dropping the Bears to 4-3.

So, the Vikings obviously caught a break. This time, anyway.

Again, the NFC North race is going to be wildly competitive. But that goes for the conference as a whole as well. The fact that the Philadelphia Eagles are sitting in the No. 7 slot in the NFC playoff picture at 5-2 tells you all you need to know in that regard.

So, even if Minnesota doesn't win the division, there's no guarantee whatsoever that this team will end up with one of the three wild-card berths, as it might take 10 or 11 wins to lock up one of those.

And that's why the Vikings simply must take advantage of the upcoming schedule, specifically the next three weeks.

The Vikings' next three games on the schedule are critical to gain ground in NFC North standings

The Vikings have played just two games within the division thus far, besting the Packers in Week 4 and losing to the Lions in Week 7. That obviously means they've got one more matchup with each of those teams and two with the Bears, the first of which comes in Week 12.

Before that, however, Minnesota's next three games are all against AFC opponents, none of whom have a record better than .500.

Week 9 vs. Indianapolis Colts

Up first is a Week 9 matchup with the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday Night Football. The Colts somehow managed to stay competitive against the Houston Texans in Week 8 despite the subpar play of quarterback Anthony Richardson, who completed just 10 of 32 passes.

The Vikings' defense will have to contend with Jonathan Taylor, who rushed for 105 yards and a touchdown against the Texans, but Minnesota has been stellar against the run, allowing the fourth-fewest rushing yards per game in the NFL this season (83.9).

On the flip side of things, the Indianapolis defense has allowed the fifth-most total yards per game (379.6) in the league, and Sam Darnold and the Vikings' offense should be able to exploit that unit.

On paper, the Vikings should win this game, which applies to each of these next three contests. The added bonus of a win here is that the Colts have already beaten the Bears, which could come into play if the common-opponent tiebreaker is necessary down the line.

Week 10 at Jacksonville Jaguars

That same tiebreaker comes into play here, as the Jaguars have already taken losses to the Packers and Bears and likely will against the Lions in Week 11. So, it's absolutely crucial for Minnesota to come away with a road victory in Jacksonville in Week 10.

As mentioned, the Jags took a last-second loss to the Packers on Sunday. And you almost have to feel bad for them, as they never gave Green Bay all they could handle and refused to quit even when they fell down by 10 early in the fourth quarter.

Nevertheless, this is still a game the Vikings should win. The Jaguars are allowing the second-most passing yards per game (271.1), so Sam Darnold and Justin Jefferson should be able to feast.

Week 11 at Tennessee Titans

Sorry, Titans fans, but you simply don't have a good football team for which to root this year, and Week 8 was their worst outing yet, as they took a 52-14 beating at the hands of the Lions.

The Tennessee defense could do nothing to stop Jahymr Gibbs, who rushed for 127 yards and a touchdown on just 11 carries. David Montgomery added a rushing score as well.

What was wild about this game was that while Jared Goff threw for three touchdowns, he only recorded 85 passing yards. And Amon-Ra St. Brown had just two catches for seven yards, although one of those receptions went for a touchdown.

Honestly, it'd be shocking if the Vikings don't get a double-digit victory here. They may not win by 38 as Detroit did, but Tennessee shouldn't be any sort of threat to Minnesota in Week 11.

These are all very winnable games for the Vikes. And they may just need to win all of them. If that happens, they'd enter their Week 12 matchup with Chicago at 8-2. So even if they went 3-4 over their final seven games, they'd still be 11-6 at season's end, which should be enough to get them into the playoffs.

And they'll undoubtedly want that cushion. In addition to their four remaining divisional matchups, Minnesota faces the Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, and Seattle Seahawks in the final seven weeks, all of whom are currently at .500 or better and all of whom could be vying for a spot in the postseason.

Simply put, the Vikings must win the games they're supposed to win, starting with these next three.