Vikings Have 30 Percent Chance Of Making Playoffs, According To Projections

From CBS Minnesota:

By WCCO-TV

December 2, 2020

(WCCO)- Thanks to their last minute win over the Carolina Panthers this past Sunday, the Vikings remained very much alive in the playoff conversation. With wins in four of their last five games, they sit at 5-6, just one game back of the Arizona Cardinals for the final playoff spot in the NFC with five weeks remaining. And, they got some good news Wednesday when receiver Adam Thielen was activated from the Reserve/COVID list. So, what are the chances of Mike Zimmer’s group rallying to make a trip to the postseason?

Well, the projections systems at FiveThirtyEight and ESPN aren’t overly optimistic. FiveThirtyEight gives the Vikings a 30 percent chance while ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) gives them a 24.4 percent shot. There is some good news. They hold the tiebreaker over both Chicago and San Francisco at the moment thanks to their win over the Bears and a better conference record than the 49ers.

But, there are still five games left to play. So, what do the Vikings need to do down the stretch to make a playoff run? First, let’s take a look at the remaining schedule. They face the Jaguars (1-10), Bears (5-6) and Lions (4-7) at home while having to travel to Tampa Bay (7-4) and New Orleans (9-2). On paper that would appear to be two should be wins (Jaguars, Lions) two probable losses (Bucs, Saints) and one toss-up.

Read more at CBS Minnesota