A Vikings season that through five games had the plot of a train wreck has turned slightly in a new direction. They now have the whiff of a movie about a seemingly retired jewel thief being coaxed into one more big heist.
Just when you thought they were out, they pull you back in.
An uninspiring win over a terrible team forced to use a "wait, who is that?" backup quarterback should not do this to us, but here we are. That's what an uninspiring Sunday across the board in the league, a lackluster NFC and frankly a couple of 49ers injuries add up to, as Patrick Reusse and I talked about on Monday's Daily Delivery podcast.
The Vikings continue to have multiple problems, with the biggest concern being the fact that their offense hasn't won them a game this year while their defense has won them two. That's good news for Brian Flores, but it's terrible news for head coach Kevin O'Connell, quarterback Kirk Cousins and any number of other skill position players on the team.
But winning ugly is still winning. At 2-4 and with a slew of winnable games up ahead of them, the Vikings have the potential to play meaningful games into December. I can already see them right in the middle of that "in the hunt" graphic they will inevitably display before the Vikings host the Packers in primetime on New Year's Eve.
The New York Times gives the Vikings a 29% chance of making the playoffs – and that number would surely make a jump up if Minnesota can win next Monday against San Francisco.
That seemed like a laughable proposition until Sunday, when the 49ers lost Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel to injury in the midst of losing 19-17 to Cleveland.
The Browns, by the way, won that game while being quarterbacked by P.J. Walker – a backup who was bad enough that the Bears cut him in the preseason and went with Tyson Bagent, the undrafted free agent who gifted the Vikings their win on Sunday.
