Just in: The Vikings are no longer in, but there is still hope

Week 16 in the National Football League is officially in the books, and with only two weeks remaining in the 2023 regular season our Minnesota Vikings no longer control their own destiny in the playoff race. Not only do they no longer have a chance to win the NFC North, but they now don’t even have a Wild Card spot, so they’ll need to win and get help if they want to punch their ticket to the postseason party.

Now, I can understand people wanting the Vikings to lose or whatever the case may be. I don’t like it, but I understand it, and anyone that’s followed this site for any length of time knows that. Losing games for draft position doesn’t guarantee anything because a front office can hit on any pick or screw up any pick. So, honestly, I can’t bring myself to cheer for this team to lose.

With that out of the way, here’s the NFC playoff picture as we head into the final two weeks of the season.

The Niners were heavily defeated by the Ravens on Monday night, but they still have the inside track to the top seed. They have a “get right” game in Washington this Sunday, but the big impact for Vikings fans is that their Week 18 game against the Rams will now have some meaning…the Niners will still be fighting for the #1 seed, while the Rams will be looking to secure a playoff spot. Because the Rams are one of the teams standing in the Vikings’ path of making the playoffs, this is a win for Vikings fans.

The Eagles nearly lost their fourth game in a row on Monday, but did just enough to hold off the Giants. They’re still fighting for the NFC East crown with Dallas, and their schedule is significantly easier than Dallas’ over the last two weeks, but something isn’t quite right with the Eagles recently. Jalen Hurts is turning the ball over at a much higher rate than in the past, and Philadelphia is running out of time to correct the situation before the playoffs.

The Lions probably should have blown the Vikings out on Sunday, given that the Vikings turned the ball over on about half of their possessions, but they had to hold on at the last minute. That’s still enough to get them a division title and potentially put them in play for the #1 seed. Will the Week 18 game in Detroit mean anything? Hopefully it will.

The Bucs have put themselves in a position to win the NFC South. All they need to do is win one of their final two games and they’ll secure a home playoff game against whoever finishes in the runner up spot in the NFC East. At least there’s a chance the NFC South champ will have a winning record this year, which is nice.

The Cowboys hurt their chances at the NFC East title with their loss to Miami this weekend, but they’re already in the playoffs and, honestly, might be better off getting a Wild Card spot and a trip to Tampa Bay or New Orleans than securing a division title. That sounds weird to say, I know, but given the potential matchups it wouldn’t be the worst thing for the Cowboys to finish behind the Eagles.

The Rams are on a roll, having won five of their last six. Matthew Stafford has their offense clicking in a big way, and while their defense is a bit suspect, they’re doing enough on offense where it might not matter. As I mentioned in the opening paragraph, they’re going to have to face a San Francisco team that’s actually playing for something at Levi’s Stadium in Week 18, and if the Vikings can handle their business on Sunday night, that could be beneficial to them.