{"id":99691,"date":"2020-12-14T22:50:59","date_gmt":"2020-12-15T03:50:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=99691"},"modified":"2020-12-14T22:51:51","modified_gmt":"2020-12-15T03:51:51","slug":"after-another-tough-loss-the-minnesota-vikings-playoffs-chances-narrows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2020\/12\/14\/after-another-tough-loss-the-minnesota-vikings-playoffs-chances-narrows\/","title":{"rendered":"After Another Tough Loss, the Minnesota Vikings Playoffs Chances Narrow"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s been a season of tough losses for the Minnesota Vikings<\/a> (I\u2019m looking at you, Week 3 and Week 5). Even still, Minnesota went into their Week 14 matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers<\/a> at 6-6 and in control of their playoff destiny. Largely due to continued struggle on special teams and questionable calls from the referees, the Minnesota Vikings lost the game, significantly reducing their chances of sneaking into the playoffs.<\/p>\n

The Minnesota Vikings\u2019 Playoff Chances<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s now a three-team race to snag the final playoff spot in the NFC. The Vikings are competing with the Arizona Cardinals<\/a> and Chicago Bears<\/a>. FiveThirtyEight gives Arizona a 54 percent chance of making the postseason. Both Minnesota and Chicago are sitting at a modest 20 percent chance of making the playoffs<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Virtually every NFL coach preaches about the importance of focusing on what can be controlled. They can\u2019t control what the Cardinals or Bears do, so the Vikings would be wise to focus their attention on the things they can control: their effort, attention to detail, physicality, etc. The issue, of course, is that Minnesota has forfeited control over their playoff path. To get into the postseason, Minnesota is now dependent on other teams faltering. It\u2019s not a great position to be in.<\/p>\n

Sunday\u2019s game in Tampa Bay was winnable. Tom Brady<\/a><\/strong> missed several routine throws, and Minnesota found plenty of success on offense. The Vikings thus dominated the time of possession; Minnesota held the ball for more than 39 minutes. Despite the time of possession discrepancy, the Vikings were unable to actually score points, so the favorable stats don\u2019t mean too much. Football is played on a field, not a stat sheet. Unless they actually lead to tangible results, the favorable statistics don\u2019t mean too much.<\/p>\n

As the Vikings head into the final three games of their season, Mike Zimmer<\/strong> will undoubtedly be focusing on how he can ensure his team translates their positive plays into actual points.<\/p>\n

Salvaging the Season<\/h3>\n

Perhaps it goes without saying, but special teams is the area that needs the biggest improvement. Dan Bailey<\/a><\/strong> missed all four of his kicks yesterday: 0\/3 on field goals and 0\/1 on extra points. Expect the Vikings to retain Bailey while they simultaneously look for other solutions. It would be unwise to cut him, but it would be equally unwise to continue playing him. The best solution is to sign someone to play the remaining three games. Meanwhile, Minnesota can focus on restoring Bailey\u2019s confidence from the sideline.<\/p>\n

Otherwise, the Vikings need more big-time plays from their offense and defense.<\/p>\n

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I mean… pic.twitter.com\/FagVVBdGRp<\/a><\/p>\n

— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) December 13, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n