The Vikings' 0-3 start, which included a pair of one-score losses at home, put their chances of making back-to-back playoff trips on shaky ground before the end of September. It meant that to achieve a postseason berth in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2008-09, the Vikings would have to become just the seventh team in NFL history to make the playoffs after losing its first three games.
Vikings' big question: Do they really have a viable path to the playoffs?
Believe it or not, the Vikings, who started 0-3, are in control of their own destiny in the NFC North.
October 25, 2023 at 11:39AM
The losses invited speculation about whom the Vikings might trade away before the Oct. 31 trade deadline and whether the best thing for them would be to lose enough that they could select a quarterback like USC's Caleb Williams or North Carolina's Drake Maye at the top of the 2024 draft.
Since then, the Vikings have won three of their four games, earning a 22-17 win over the 5-1 49ers that gave them some legitimacy after victories over last-place teams in Carolina and Chicago. And now, believe it or not, the Vikings are in control of their own destiny in the NFC North.
They trail the Lions by two games in the division, after Detroit lost 38-6 to the Ravens on Sunday. The Vikings and Lions won't meet until Dec. 24, but if Minnesota matches Detroit's record the rest of the way while sweeping the season series, it would win the division for the second consecutive season.
The Vikings' three-win October has also put them back in the NFC wild-card race, where they're just a half-game behind the Buccaneers for the final spot. Between now and their first game against the Lions, the Vikings have just one game against a team that currently has a winning record (at Atlanta on Nov. 5). The only other team they'll face with a .500 record is the Bengals in December. The schedule, in other words, gives the Vikings every opportunity to put themselves back in the playoff race, especially since wild-card competitors like the Seahawks and Cowboys have tougher schedules the rest of the way.
The team has quietly rebuffed trade rumors in recent weeks, pointing to a full slate of division games and an improving defense as reasons a turnaround could be possible. After the win over the 49ers, it's even more difficult to see the Vikings giving up on the season now. If they're able to win road games against the Packers and Falcons in the next two weeks, they could be above .500 when Justin Jefferson is eligible to return from injured reserve (and the Vikings have projected confidence Jefferson will be back on the field as soon as he's capable of returning).
If the Vikings make another playoff trip, lose in the first round and head into the offseason with a free-agent quarterback and a pick in the back half of the first round, they'd face major decisions about where to invest at the position, whether it's parting with multiple first-rounders to move up for a quarterback or considering a return for Cousins.
But those questions, especially after Monday night, seem again to be afterthoughts for now. The Vikings have claimed all along they're still invested in the 2023 season, and with a viable path to the playoffs, that might be the prudent course of action for the rest of this year.
Mike Conley was in Minneapolis, where he sounded the Gjallarhorn at the Vikings game, on Sunday during the robbery.
