On Sunday, the Vikings will be without cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. Who will take the lead?

The Vikings face the Lions in a “Winter Whiteout” game at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday afternoon, with a lot on the line. They’ll be hoping not just to stay alive in the NFC North title chase, but also to preserve their spot in the wild card hunt.

A Vikings victory would keep them in the NFC’s No. 6 spot and give them a chance to pull off an unlikely comeback for the division title. A loss, along with a win by the Seahawks over the 5-9 Titans, would put them on the outside looking in for the first time in a long time.

The Lions are 3.5-point away favorites in this game after scoring 42 points against the Broncos. So, who will triumph on Sunday? Let’s start with my forecast and then look at some other analysts’ picks.

The Vikings appear to be in a difficult situation. This season, Brian Flores’ defense has been terrific, but the Lions’ offense is one of the best in the league. Ben Johnson is an excellent offensive thinker, and Jared Goff has a plethora of weapons at his disposal in the form of Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jahmyr Gibbs, Sam LaPorta, and David Montgomery. The loss of top CB Byron Murphy Jr. (and maybe top DT Harrison Phillips) for the Vikings is huge. I believe Nick Mullens, Justin Jefferson, and company will be able to score some points against the Lions, but not enough to win.

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Vikings Positioning in NFC Playoff Scenarios in Week 16 Wish List

There are lots of lists this time of year, but we thought we’d highlight what we think would help the Vikings in Week 16, with Minnesota (7-7) making the NFC Playoffs for the second consecutive season.

First and foremost, the Vikings must defeat the Lions (10-4) on Sunday at 12:00 (CT).

This opens up the potential of repeating as NFC North champions, even if it also takes Minnesota to win out against the Packers and at Detroit, as well as the Lions to lose at Dallas in Week 17.

Furthermore, the Vikings don’t have much breathing room on the playoff side of the peloton.

Minnesota enters the playoffs as the No. 7 seed after the Los Angeles Rams (8-7) defeated the New Orleans Saints (7-8) on Thursday Night Football to move up to the No. 6 slot.

Because of Minnesota’s head-to-head advantage over New Orleans, the Vikings would have been better off if the Saints had won that game today (and presumably in the long run).

With a win or tie against Minnesota, Detroit would have clinched a postseason spot if New Orleans won in Los Angeles. A loss or tie by Seattle will also ensure the Lions a postseason berth.

Simply winning this week will not get Minnesota into the playoffs, but it will keep Minnesota in the running for a postseason spot.

The Vikings will gain if the Titans (5-9) defeat the Seahawks (7-7) at 12:00 (CT) on Sunday. Seattle’s late comeback against Philadelphia on Monday set the stage for a potential playoff run against three teams with a combined record of 15-27 entering Week 16 (Tennessee, Pittsburgh, and Arizona).

Because Pittsburgh (7-7) has a lot to play for in Week 17 at Seattle, the Vikings may want to add a Steelers win over the Bengals (8-6) this Saturday at 3:30 p.m. (CT).

The Buccaneers (7-7) will visit the Jaguars (8-6) in a 3:05 p.m. (CT) Sunday game after upsetting the Packers at Lambeau Field last week.

If Tampa Bay wins the NFC South, Minnesota will be better off since the Bucs hold a head-to-head tiebreaker from Week 1 if those two teams were contending for a Wild Card spot.

If a Wild Card tiebreaker is required, the Vikings have a head-to-head advantage over the Saints and Falcons (6-8).

The Rams, who have won five of their last six games after starting 3-6 before the bye, will get some extra rest before traveling across the country to face the New York Giants (5-9) in Week 17.

The Giants did the Vikings a favor by defeating the Packers in Week 14, but because that was their only win over a club with more than four wins before Week 16, the Vikings may not want to rely on New York to beat Los Angeles.

Thus, if the 49ers are still vying for the No. 1 overall seed in Week 18 versus the Rams, the Vikings stand to benefit the most.

Because San Francisco (11-3) can clinch the top seed with one more win and one more loss each by 10-4 Dallas, Philadelphia, and Detroit, a win by the Ravens (11-3) at the 49ers at 7:15 p.m. (CT) Monday, and wins by Dallas at Miami (10-4) at 3:25 p.m. (CT) Sunday, will likely benefit Minnesota the most.

Is it better for Minnesota to host Green Bay (6-8) following a Packers win against Carolina (2-12) or a third straight loss?

Who can say? However, basic logic suggests that additional defeats by teams closer to the Vikings in the rankings aid in the race for wins.

Whatever happens this week at 12:00 (CT) in Carolina, the Vikings will need to win at least two of their next three games and may or may not be in position to knock the Packers out of playoff contention in Week 17.

With Chicago (5-9) owning Carolina’s first-round pick and its own in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Vikings might benefit indirectly in April if the Bears beat the Cardinals (3-11) at 3:25 p.m. (CT) and move farther down the draft board with their own pick.