In that photo you see above, Vikings QB Kirk Cousins is seen earlier this year describing ideas for keeping him from being a close contact for COVID — including, perhaps, surrounding him in Plexiglas in the quarterback room.
Get ready for a chaotic final three weeks of the Vikings season
So much hangs in the balance over these last three games, and new information seems to emerge daily.
December 24, 2021 at 11:30AM
The movement of his hands toward each other, though, takes on a new meaning now: The Vikings moving toward an intersection over the course of the final three games — some sort of dramatic conclusion as two opposing forces come together.
A team that has seen more than its share of turbulence in the context of its season and individual games now has three more tries to chart a path forward. That future could be anything from making the playoffs and potentially ensuring a relatively quiet offseason to missing the playoffs and igniting a franchise makeover at head coach, general manager and quarterback.
So, like we talked about on Friday's Daily Delivery podcast: No pressure.
Let's quickly run through what I see as the three plausible scenarios:
*The Vikings run the table or win two out of the next three, get into the playoffs and score a first-round upset win. In that scenario, it's hard to imagine a housecleaning. Mike Zimmer, Rick Spielman and Kirk Cousins are almost certainly back in 2022, with Cousins perhaps signing another short extension to alleviate the pressure of his $45 million cap number.
Likelihood: 15%. Just getting into the playoffs is a big ask given the next two games are against the Rams and Packers — plus Dalvin Cook is on the COVID list and Cousins is on the injury report.
*The Vikings fall flat, lose their next two games and are out of it before a meaningless finale vs. the Bears. In that scenario, it's plausible to imagine wholesale leadership changes and the exploration of a Cousins trade like the one written about here.
Likelihood: 30%. The caveat is the Vikings continue to play hard. This season has been frustrating but not for lack of effort.
*The Vikings land somewhere in the squishy middle, either barely making the playoffs and getting blown out right away or barely missing the playoffs despite a decent effort. At that point, the offseason would be even more intriguing and less clear-cut.
Likelihood: 55%. In other words: Get ready for more chaos.
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