What needs to happen for the Vikings to keep the top seed in the NFC playoff picture

While the first third of this 2024 NFL season has included several surprises, the Minnesota Vikings being the lone undefeated team in the NFC has to be near the top of the list, if not the very top.

With an offense led by a resurgent Sam Darnold and Justin Jefferson and a defense that's been one of the best in the league, the Vikings are off to a sensational 5-0 start. And it's not as if they've beaten a bunch of lower-level squads.

Sure, the two New York teams have their fair share of issues, but the San Francisco 49ers, Houston Texans, and Green Bay Packers have a combined record of 12-6 through the first six weeks of the season, and all three would be in the postseason if it started tomorrow.

As the only unbeaten team in the conference, Minnesota is obviously the top seed in the current NFC playoff picture, which looks like this after Week 6:

1. Minnesota Vikings (5-0, 1st NFC North)
2. Atlanta Falcons (4-2, 1st NFC South)
3. Washington Commanders (4-2, 1st NFC East)
4. San Francisco 49ers (3-3, 1st NFC West)
5. Detroit Lions (4-1, 2nd NFC North)
6. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-2, 2nd NFC South)
7. Green Bay Packers (4-2, 3rd NFC North)
8. Chicago Bears (4-2, 4th NFC North)
9. Philadelphia Eagles (3-2, 2nd NFC East)
10. Dallas Cowboys (3-3, 3rd NFC East)
11. Seattle Seahawks (3-3, 2nd NFC West)
12. Arizona Cardinals (2-4, 3rd NFC West)
13. New Orleans Saints (2-4, 3rd NFC South)
14. New York Giants (2-4, 4th NFC East)
15. Los Angeles Rams (1-4, 4th NFC West)
16. Carolina Panthers (1-5, 4th NFC South)

As it stands now, the NFC North looks to be the strongest division in the conference and maybe the entire NFL, as every team has at least four wins through the first six weeks of the season. So, even at 5-0, the Vikings are anything but a lock to win the division, let alone a lock to earn a top seed come playoff time.

But if the Vikings can continue to do the things they've been doing on both sides of the football, they've got a genuine shot at both. And their upcoming schedule will only help matters.

The Vikings need to continue to build early leads

One of the biggest reasons the Vikings have gone 5-0 for the sixth time in the last 27 years, the most of any team in the league during that span, has been their ability to take early leads.

Outside the season opener against the New York Giants, Minnesota has scored first in every game thus far. And it's not as if the Vikings were down long in Week 1, as New York held a 3-0 lead for all of 3 minutes and 26 seconds before an Aaron Jones touchdown run and a Will Reichard extra point gave Minnesota a 7-3 advantage.

The Vikings ultimately took a 28-6 victory, and that 3:26 is the only time the team has trailed all season. Only four teams since the 1970 merger have trailed for less time in their first five games, and all four went to the Super Bowl.

The field goal by the Giants in the first quarter also represents the only points the Vikings have surrendered in the opening frame this season.

Overall, Minnesota has collectively outscored its five opponents 48-3 in the first quarter and 86-24 in the first half. They've gotten a little complacent at times in the second half of games, but they've obviously managed to protect each lead.

If the Vikings can continue to build early advantages and can improve on tightening things up a bit over the final 30 minutes, they're going to continue to win football games.

Minnesota must take advantage of its upcoming schedule

Coming off their bye week, the Vikings will face a tough test in a Detroit Lions team that just went into AT&T Stadium and dismantled the Dallas Cowboys by a score of 47-9, which marks the biggest home loss for America's Team since Jerry Jones took control of the team in 1989.

Jared Goff lit up the Cowboys for 315 yards and three touchdowns, but he wasn't facing a pass rush like the Vikings have, one that leads the league in pressures (84), hurries (34), and knockdowns (30). Minnesota also ranks third in sacks (20.0), trailing only the Giants (26.0) and Denver Broncos (22.0), but those two teams have also played six games.

The Vikings also lead the league in interceptions with 11, already matching their total from a season ago. So, Goff could be in for a long day. And with Darnold now not having to deal with Aidan Hutchinson, who suffered a gruesome injury against Dallas, fracturing both the tibia and fibula in his left leg, the Minnesota offense, which may have tight end T.J. Hockenson back in the mix, will face a weakened Detroit defense.

But even if Kevin O'Connell & Co. lose to the Lions in Week 7, they've got a favorable schedule in the month that follows with games against the Los Angeles Rams, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Tennessee Titans, who've gone a combined 6-16 through the first six weeks. Of those three teams, only the Colts have managed to win more than once thus far, going 3-3 to start the season.

Minnesota simply must take advantage of this portion of the schedule. Championship-level teams typically beat opponents they're supposed to beat, and the Vikings should win all four of these contests.

So, they should conceivably be either 10-0 or 9-1 after their first 10 games, which would obviously have them in a great spot as it pertains to the NFC playoff picture heading into their final seven games, four of which are divisional matchups.

Again, overall, the Vikings have put themselves in a great position in this first third of the '24 campaign. But also again, they may just be in the toughest division in the NFL right now, and taking the top seed in the NFC will be anything but easy.

But if they can continue to build and maintain leads and win the games they're supposed to win, they'll earn themselves an extra bye week come January as a No. 1 seed.