It's crunch time for the Minnesota Vikings: they face a 4-6 record with seven games to go and are sitting in last place in the NFC North, with the playoffs getting further away in the rearview mirror.
The Vikings are coming off a devastating 19-17 loss to the Chicago Bears in Week 11 that set them back further, but all hope is not lost for the playoffs. A nice winning streak could get them back on track. Some are not buying into that, though.
Bleacher Report writer Brad Gagnon made a case for each of the 21 eligible teams in the postseason, explaining why they could be contenders or pretenders, and offering a final verdict. For the Vikings, Gagnon does not buy into Minnesota, calling them "pretenders."
"The offense has been stuck in neutral for much of the season. Injuries factor in, but J.J. McCarthy has struggled regardless. The defense has also seemingly lost something this season."
"They were probably worse than their record in 2024, and now McCarthy is going through it while the rest of the roster regresses to the mean. It would be a shock if they made the playoffs at this point."
The Minnesota Vikings have a long road ahead to prove the doubters wrong
A big problem for Minnesota this season has been the laundry list of injuries on offense and defense. Their offensive line has gone five different starting lineups with key players like McCarthy, Aaron Jones, Jonathan Greenard, and Andrew Van Ginkel all missing significant time.,
It hasn't helped that McCarthy's development has gone slowly. While some are more impatient with him after five starts, there are traits there that show he's got grit, including two games where he had multiple touchdowns in the fourth quarter and even threw what should have been the game-winning touchdown against Chicago in Week 11 with under one minute to go if it hadn't been for a kickoff return to set the Bears up for the win.
There are seven games left, which is a mixed bag of winnable games and tough matchups. Minnesota should be favored to beat the Dallas Cowboys, Washington Commanders, and New York Giants. Their challenging games are the Green Bay Packers twice, the Detroit Lions, and the Seattle Seahawks.
The Vikings have proven they can beat good teams, with wins over the Lions and Bears this season, so it's not out of the realm of possibility that this Minnesota team can make a run. It'll take some upset wins to get there, but calling them "pretenders" is a bit premature for a talented roster getting healthy at the right time.