NFC Standings: Lions Continue to Cruise, Vikings a Game Back From 7 Seed
The Vikings are off to a disappointing 2-4 start, but dropping to 1-5 with a loss against the Bears this weekend would've been devastating to their playoff hopes. As it is, they still have a lot of work to do to get back in the hunt for a wild card spot.
A second consecutive NFC North title is looking more and more unlikely by the week, even if there's still two-thirds of the season remaining. The Lions beat the Buccaneers on the road on Sunday, moving to 5-1 with their fourth consecutive victory. They look like the clear class of the division and potentially one of the best teams in the entire conference. The Packers had their bye this week.
NFC North Standings
- Lions: 5-1
- Packers: 2-3
- Vikings: 2-4
- Bears: 1-5
ESPN's Football Power Index gives the Lions an 89.5 percent chance to win the division. It would be their first division title since 1993, when it was called the NFC Central and had the Buccaneers as a fifth team.
The Vikings play the Lions in two of the final three games this season, but they'll need to win a bunch of games and hope for some Lions losses over the next couple months if those matchups are going to have relevance in the division.
NFC Wild Card Standings
The NFC standings through six weeks, pre-Monday Night Football.
There's a clear top three in the NFC. The Eagles and 49ers both lost their first game of the season on Sunday in surprising fashion, falling to Zach Wilson's Jets and P.J. Walker's Browns, respectively (both happen to have elite defenses). The Cowboys play the Chargers on Monday Night Football.
Even if the Cowboys win, there will be a clump of eight teams with either two or three wins. The Vikings are just a game back from the seventh seed, but they face a major challenge at home against the Niners next Monday.
The bottom line is that the Vikings need to get a lot better on offense, quickly, to have a shot at winding up in the postseason hunt.
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