Breaking Down the Vikings' Spot in the NFC Playoff Picture After Week 14

The Vikings fell behind the Cardinals in the playoff standings on Sunday.

The Vikings' playoff hopes took a major blow on Sunday when they lost to the Buccaneers and the Cardinals beat the Giants. Because of those two results, the Cardinals have moved back into the seventh seed in the NFC at 7-6, while the Vikings fall one game back at 6-7.

However, the season isn't over for Minnesota. If they're able to make up a game on the Cardinals over the final three weeks, they will likely own the tiebreaker that would send them to the postseason as the No. 7 seed. They'll also have to hold off the Bears, making next week's game against Chicago a must-win for the Vikings.

Here's what the NFC playoff picture looks like right now:

The 49ers, Lions, and Giants are essentially out of the race at 5-8.

Because they lost to Tampa Bay, the Vikings' only shot to get in is to pass the Cardinals. Arizona was stumbling, having lost four of its last five games, but played very well in a 26-7 win over a red-hot Giants team. The Cardinals racked up nearly 400 yards of offense while holding New York to 159 yards and sacking them eight times.

Here's what the remaining schedules look like for the three teams fighting for the No. 7 seed.

• Cardinals: vs. Eagles (4-8-1), vs. 49ers (5-8), at Rams (9-4)
• Vikings: vs. Bears (6-7), at Saints (10-3), at Lions (5-8)
• Bears: at Vikings (6-7), at Jaguars (1-12), vs. Packers (10-3)

The difficult thing for the Vikings is that they may need to win out to pass Arizona. A loss to the Bears next week would seal their fate. If they win that, they may need to go to New Orleans and beat the Saints on Christmas Day. If the Cardinals win two of their last three (with that loss likely coming to the Rams in Week 17), the Vikings would need to win out.

However, it's still possible for the Vikings to lose to the Saints and get in if they beat the Bears and Lions. If the Cardinals lose to either the Eagles or 49ers in addition to the Rams, the Vikings could get in at 8-8. Both teams would be 6-6 in conference games, but the Vikings would be ahead of the Cardinals on the common games tiebreaker by having a better record against the Lions, Cowboys, Panthers, and Seahawks (3-2 vs. 2-3).

One thing that could give Minnesota hope for that outcome is that the Eagles looked the best they have all season on Sunday. With Jalen Hurts making his first career start, Philadelphia knocked off the Saints, 24-21.

The path is a lot more difficult due to Sunday's events, but if the Vikings win at least two of their final three and get some losses from the Cardinals, it's still possible.

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