NFL Power Rankings, Week 15: Packers take top seed, Eagles sparked by Jalen Hurts

There was something rare that happened for the Minnesota Vikings this weekend as they dominated the time of possession in their loss against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Minnesota had the ball for 39 minutes whereas the Bucs had it for just 21 minutes.

While it’s not unheard of for the team on the wrong side of the time of possession battle to lose the game, it is rare for it to happen in a game like this one where Minnesota was never really in it. Tampa Bay scored 17 points in the second quarter and added another touchdown in the third to go up 23-6. That stretch of scoring pretty much put it out of reach even though Tampa Bay didn’t play great overall.

The big difference though was the play of Dan Bailey. The struggling kicker was awful in this game, missing all three of his field-goal tries as well as his only extra-point attempt. Had he made them all, Tampa Bay technically still would have won, but then again, the momentum might have been different if they were getting the points they were supposed to.

For Minnesota, it was really disheartening as it moved them to 6-7 and with the Arizona Cardinals winning over the New York Giants, it means they’re no longer in good shape in the playoff race. While there are still three games remaining, it’s getting to the point where they have to win these games that they’re not supposed to.