Playoffs?!

[akvikingsfan]

I know it's early, but I'm one of those that always looks ahead at the playoff scenarios. If the season ended right now today, the Vikings would have the 2nd seed (possibly third pending out come of the Cardinals/Seahawks game). Clearly, they control their own destiny at this point. Keep winning and they're in. However, I like to look at the numbers.

If they win any 3 of their remaining 7 games, there is a 96% chance they make the playoffs.

In order to assure them a playoff spot, the Vikings need to win 5 of their remaining games. As the season goes on those numbers can (and do) change. Realistically, if the Vikings win their next 3 games, at that point, the will be 10-2 and that should clinch them a playoff berth.

Again, I know it's early to talk about the playoffs, but what are your views? How do you see the Vikings post season looking?

[Rieux]

I went with pessimism and picked the wildcard—but note that it's spelled "berth."

[akvikingsfan]

I went with pessimism and picked the wildcard—but note that it's spelled "berth."

Thank you for pointing that out. Corrections were made to original post and poll.

[jackal]

I think we will win enough games to get either a wild card or division title.

I am not writing the Packers off at all.. I think today we have the inside track

but Zimmer is right first place today means nothing, and we still have a lot of big games

to play. If we win next week I would give us a 80/85 percent chance of winning the division.

Green Bay still has us twice, Arizona on the road, Oakland on the road. Bears

As of today I would say 80 percent chance of a playoff birth and 55 chance of division.

[Hunter Morrow]

2/3 for the wild card, coin flipping for the division.
The Packers are still the Packers and have made us look quite bad under Rodgers.

There isn't a single easy game on the schedule.

Green Bay twice, Falcons and Arizona on the road, Seattle, Bears (only won by 3) and Giants.

[akvikingsfan]

Vikings clinch a playoff berth next week with a win and the following:

Giants loss tomorrow (or next week) & Bucs loss & Eagles loss

or

Giants loss tomorrow (or next week) & Bucs loss & Redskins loss

So here's the games that matter for clenching purposes next weekend:

Giants @ Dolphins or Giants vs Panthers
Bucs @ Rams
Eagles vs Cardinals
Redskins vs Bills
Vikings vs Bears

to quote Mike Tice

It all starts with beat Baltimore

but in this case, it all starts with beat Chicago.

What are your thoughts? Do the Vikings clench a berth next week?

[PurpleMustReign]

It would take an implosion of epic proportions for the Vikings to not make the playoffs now... although it is the Vikings so who knows.

I would assume GB is just as close to a playoff berth as well. Hopefully the Vikings can clinch something before heading into Lambeau so that a loss there wouldn't mean the end of the season.

[Pondering Her Percy]

There's no 3rd OR 4th seed. It's a guaranteed 3rd seed. Nobody is catching us or GB in the east if we win the division

[Laserman]

I think We'll squeak in Barely, Then Exit quickly

[saint33]

As long as we take care of business these next two weeks, we're going to be looking at a head to battle in lambeau for the division. Which could be nothing more than a battle to see who plays at home come wildcard round

[akvikingsfan]

Looking at my favorite playoff site (playoffstatus.com) There's actually 15 different ways the Vikings can clench a playoff berth this coming weekend. Granted, 9 of them involve the Vikings getting a tie, so if we toss those out, there are 6 remaining possibilities as follow:

Case 1
Vikings beats the Bears, and
Jaguars beats or ties the Falcons, and
Rams beats or ties the Buccaneers, and
Dolphins beats or ties the Giants

Case 2
Vikings beats the Bears, and
Rams beats or ties the Buccaneers, and
Dolphins beats or ties the Giants, and
Browns beats or ties the Seahawks

Case 3
Vikings beats the Bears, and
Jaguars beats or ties the Falcons, and
Panthers beats or ties the Giants, and
Rams beats or ties the Buccaneers

Case 4
Vikings beats the Bears, and
Panthers beats or ties the Giants, and
Rams beats or ties the Buccaneers, and
Browns beats or ties the Seahawks

Case 5
Vikings beats the Bears, and
Jaguars beats or ties the Falcons, and
Rams beats or ties the Buccaneers, and
Bills beats or ties the Redskins

Case 6
Vikings beats the Bears, and
Rams beats or ties the Buccaneers, and
Browns beats or ties the Seahawks, and
Bills beats or ties the Redskins

Just thought I'd share. Granted, I would love to win the next two and have the showdown in Greenbay be for the division (since it's what I predicted before the season started).

[dead_poet]

Looking at my favorite playoff site (playoffstatus.com) There's actually 15 different ways the Vikings can clench a playoff berth this coming weekend. Granted, 9 of them involve the Vikings getting a tie, so if we toss those out, there are 6 remaining possibilities as follow:

Case 1
Vikings beats the Bears, and
Jaguars beats or ties the Falcons, and
Rams beats or ties the Buccaneers, and
Dolphins beats or ties the Giants

Case 2
Vikings beats the Bears, and
Rams beats or ties the Buccaneers, and
Dolphins beats or ties the Giants, and
Browns beats or ties the Seahawks

Case 3
Vikings beats the Bears, and
Jaguars beats or ties the Falcons, and
Panthers beats or ties the Giants, and
Rams beats or ties the Buccaneers

Case 4
Vikings beats the Bears, and
Panthers beats or ties the Giants, and
Rams beats or ties the Buccaneers, and
Browns beats or ties the Seahawks

Case 5
Vikings beats the Bears, and
Jaguars beats or ties the Falcons, and
Rams beats or ties the Buccaneers, and
Bills beats or ties the Redskins

Case 6
Vikings beats the Bears, and
Rams beats or ties the Buccaneers, and
Browns beats or ties the Seahawks, and
Bills beats or ties the Redskins

Just thought I'd share. Granted, I would love to win the next two and have the showdown in Greenbay be for the division (since it's what I predicted before the season started).

So you're saying we need to beat the Bears...

[akvikingsfan]

Looking at these scenarios closer, some of them don't make sense to me. For instance, why do some of them depend on Seattle losing? Even if the seahawks lost, they would still be able to get to 10 wins (if they won out) and it would be possible that they the Vikings only finished with 9 wins (if they won against the Bears then lost out). So I'm not sure how the Seahawks losing would help the Vikings clench.

Next, it involves there are a couple that involve the Falcons losing. Again this doesn't make sense to me. If the Falcons won out, they would be 9-7, a win next week would put the Vikings at 9-7 and they have the direct head to head tie breaker due to having beat the Falcons. I reckon that this has to do with the possibility that if the Vikings, Falcons and a third team were tied at 9-7 the Falcons would somehow have the multiteam tiebreaker?

But, all in all, if I were a betting man, I would place a bet on the Vikings clenching a berth next weekend.

[akvikingsfan]

So you're saying we need to beat the Bears...

Sounds like pretty good paraphrasing to me.

[MNSportsNut]

Looking at my favorite playoff site (playoffstatus.com) There's actually 15 different ways the Vikings can clench a playoff berth this coming weekend. Granted, 9 of them involve the Vikings getting a tie, so if we toss those out, there are 6 remaining possibilities as follow:

Case 1
Vikings beats the Bears, and
Jaguars beats or ties the Falcons, and
Rams beats or ties the Buccaneers, and
Dolphins beats or ties the Giants

Case 2
Vikings beats the Bears, and
Rams beats or ties the Buccaneers, and
Dolphins beats or ties the Giants, and
Browns beats or ties the Seahawks

Case 3
Vikings beats the Bears, and
Jaguars beats or ties the Falcons, and
Panthers beats or ties the Giants, and
Rams beats or ties the Buccaneers

Case 4
Vikings beats the Bears, and
Panthers beats or ties the Giants, and
Rams beats or ties the Buccaneers, and
Browns beats or ties the Seahawks

Case 5
Vikings beats the Bears, and
Jaguars beats or ties the Falcons, and
Rams beats or ties the Buccaneers, and
Bills beats or ties the Redskins

Case 6
Vikings beats the Bears, and
Rams beats or ties the Buccaneers, and
Browns beats or ties the Seahawks, and
Bills beats or ties the Redskins

Just thought I'd share. Granted, I would love to win the next two and have the showdown in Greenbay be for the division (since it's what I predicted before the season started).

Not sure about this - there is a problem in Case 2 - the Dolphins do not play the Giants.