Don’t look now, but the Vikings are tied with the Packers atop the NFC North.
Both the Vikings and Packers are 6-2, and the Vikings would still be in a good position to gain a wild-card spot if they don’t break the Packers’ streak of four straight division crowns.
According to NFL.com, the Vikings and Falcons (6-3) currently occupy the two NFC wild-card spots. So it’s pretty clear the Vikings are a legitimate playoff contender because there’s no disputing the cold, hard numbers.
But do they have the stuff to make a deep playoff run?
They haven’t proven that yet, but they’re getting there.
Sunday’s 21-18, overtime win over the Rams (4-4) in Minnesota was the Vikings’ first against a team with a winning record. Their five other wins have come against the Lions (twice), Chargers, Bears and Chiefs.
The Vikings need that signature win to be regarded as a Super Bowl contender, and they’ll have plenty of opportunities to make that statement in the next five weeks.
Minnesota is at Oakland on Sunday. The Raiders (4-4) fell to .500 after Sunday’s 38-35 loss at Pittsburgh, but they came back from a 35-21 deficit in the fourth quarter and showed they’re a playoff threat in the AFC.
In Week 11 the Vikings host the Packers. In Week 12 they’re at Atlanta. They return home for a Week 13 game against the Seahawks then go to Arizona for a Thursday Night Football game. That could be two playoff teams in a five-day stretch.
Then comes a homestand against the Bears and Giants before a Week 17 trip to Green Bay that could decide the division.
A lot will be revealed about the Vikings over the next five weeks. The first question that has to be answered is can Teddy Bridgewater play. Bridgewater is in the concussion protocol after being knocked out of Sunday’s game.
While Bridgewater hasn’t quite fulfilled the promise he showed as a rookie, the Vikings need him just like every other team in the NFL needs its starting quarterback.
Bridgewater has thrown six touchdown passes and six interceptions, but Adrian Peterson seems poised to carry the offense. During the Vikings’ current four-game winning streak, he’s gone from 60 rushing yards to 98 rushing yards to 103 to 125 on Sunday.
Defensively, the Vikings are seventh in yards allowed per game (332.2), second in points allowed per game (17.5) and sixth in passing yards allowed per game (220.6). Their only weakness on that side of the ball appears to be a run defense that’s allowing 4.4 yards per rush, 23rd in the league. But the Vikings became the first team to hold Todd Gurley under 100 yards since the Rams began giving him a full workload in Week 4. The rookie ran for 89 yards on 24 carries, 3.7 yards per carry.
Another feather in the Vikings’ cap is an ability to come from behind on the road, even if it was against weak competition. They erased an 11-point first-half deficit to win 28-19 at Detroit in Week 7 and trailed 20-13 in the final two minutes before pulling out a 23-20 win at Chicago the following week.
That poise, as well as an elite running back and a stout defense, are key ingredients for a team that wins playoff games.
The Vikings just have to see how well that translates to a more challenging part of their schedule.
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