Minnesota Vikings: 3 Observations on season at Week 12 bye
3. Vikings currently in line for a playoff spot
After missing the postseason in 2018 while finishing with a record of 8-7-1 overall, which resulted in Minnesota taking second place in the NFC North behind last year’s division champion in the Chicago Bears, the Vikings are looking like a team that will bounce back and make a return to the playoffs in 2019.
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While already matching its win total from a year ago, Minnesota is currently sitting in fifth place in the NFC standings behind the San Francisco 49ers (9-1 overall), Green Bay Packers (8-2), New Orleans Saints (8-2) and Seattle Seahawks (8-2).
It is also a few games ahead of teams such as the Los Angeles Rams (6-4), Philadelphia Eagles (5-5), Carolina Panthers (5-5) and Chicago Bears (4-6) as potential teams that could come up and contend for the two Wild Card spots.
To this point in the year, the Vikings have a hold on the second Wild Card spot in the playoff picture, behind the Seahawks who are in the top Wild Card spot entering Week 12. That’s what will make the Week 13 matchup against Seattle so important in the postseason layout when the two teams battle against each other on Monday Night Football likely for the top Wild Card position.
Minnesota of course still has a shot at the NFC North title while trying to catch up to Green Bay atop the division. A game to watch throughout the Vikings’ bye week this weekend is the Packers’ contest against the 49ers in Week 12 on Sunday Night Football, a game that could potentially impact both the NFC North and the NFC standings in general.
Entering their bye week in the 12th week of the regular season, the Vikings look like a team that will likely find themselves back in the playoffs at the end of the year in 2019. That is if Minnesota can continue to stay hot for a remainder of the season coming out of the week off this weekend.