The Minnesota Vikings have been doubted at every turn this season.
They’d have a good case to make for the most disrespected 13-2 team in league history.
But here the Vikings sit, tied for the NFC North division lead with the Detroit Lions, and in control of their own destiny for the conference’s No. 1 seed.
However, if they want the coveted first-round bye, they are going to have to earn it.
It starts in Week 17 when the Vikings host the red-hot Green Bay Packers. If they get by the Packers, that sets up a Week 18 showdown against the Lions for all the marbles.
It’s going to be an odd feeling for many Lions fans, as they will be rooting for the rival Packers on Sunday, as a Vikings loss means all Detroit would have to do to lock up the No. 1 seed is beat the San Francisco 49ers on Monday night.
And what a blessing that would be for a banged-up Lions squad. They’d have a chance to rest key players in Week 18, then get another week of rest during the wild-card round.
But something tells us this Vikings team isn’t going to make it that easy.
The Vikings already beat the Packers in Week 4, but Green Bay is also a different, better football team now, and they’d love nothing more than to make sure the Vikings also start their playoff run on the road.
Does QB Sam Darnold, head coach Kevin O’Connell and the rest of the Vikings have another statement victory in them? Doubt them at your own peril.
Here are some other key storylines to keep an eye on during the penultimate week of the NFL regular season.
Bengals have massive opportunity
The NFL post-season is still two weeks away, but don’t tell that to the Cincinnati Bengals (7-8). They’ve been playing with their season on the line for three weeks already.
Hampered by a disappointing start, the Bengals have faced must-win games since the start of December, and have won their last three in a row to keep their slim playoff chances alive.
The NFL schedule makers have gifted Cinncinnati a huge opportunity in Week 17, as they play the Denver Broncos — the team the Bengals are trying to track down for the AFC’s final wild-card spot.
If the Bengals outduel the Broncos on Saturday, it will be a huge boost to their playoff odds. But they’ll still need a lot of help.
The Bengals would still have to win in Week 18 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, have the Broncos lose to a Kansas City Chiefs team with nothing to play for, and have both the Indianapolis Colts and Miami Dolphins lose one of their remaining two games.
The odds aren’t great, but with the way Joe Burrow is slinging the pigskin right now, they’re the last team one of the top AFC contenders would want to see on wild-card weekend.
“It feels good to play in big games,” Burrow told reporters this week.
They’re all big for the Bengals now.
Hurts’ injury looms large for Eagles, Barkley
Heading into Week 16, many thought the Eagles had the best opportunity to take the NFC’s No. 1 seed.
But my oh my how things can change with one game.
The Eagles’ hopes of a first-round bye pretty much disappeared with last weekend’s loss to the Washington Commanders, and to make matters worse, Jalen Hurts sustained a concussion and has already been ruled out for Sunday’s matchup with the Dallas Cowboys.
Backup Kenny Pickett will get the ball again on Sunday, and while he wasn’t the only reason the Eagles lost to the Commanders, with a healthy Hurts, that game probably ends differently.
Hurts’ injury also comes at an inopportune time for Eagles RB Saquon Barkley, who needs just 268 rushing yards over his final two games to break Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record.
Barkley was on pace for a massive game against the Commanders until Hurts went down. But with the lack of Hurts’ running threat, and the Commanders daring Pickett to beat them, Barkley was locked up for the majority of the second half.
The Cowboys will surely deploy a similar strategy on Sunday. With a full week of preparation, we’ll see if Pickett can make them pay and open up the game for Barkley on the ground.
Game to Watch: Atlanta Falcons (8-7) @ Washington Commanders (10-5) — Sunday, 6:20 p.m. ET
Two exciting rookie QBs with playoff implications a plenty, what’s not to love?
Sunday’s primetime matchup between the Commanders and Falcons features two QBs selected in the top 10 of this year’s NFL Draft, but who have both taken very different paths to their starting roles.
Commanders QB Jayden Daniels took the league by storm from Week 1, and after his best performance of the season last week against the Eagles, he seems like a lock to win Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Meanwhile, Falcons rookie Michael Penix Jr. waited behind veteran Kirk Cousins until last week when Atlanta called his number for his first career start.
Penix’s numbers didn’t jump off the page in Week 16, and he did play the abysmal New York Giants, but he played a clean game, which was something the Falcons were sorely lacking in Cousins’ final few starts.
It’s going to be a much tougher test for Penix against the Commanders, and adding to the pressure is the fact that the Falcons are in control of their own playoff destiny. Two wins over the final two weeks, and the NFC South crown is theirs. One loss, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-7) can swoop back in to earn a playoff spot.
It should be a fascinating matchup between the two rookie QBs who could very well be stars in the league for years to come.
Forrest’s Favourites (Season record: 21-21) — All odds courtesy of BetMGM:
Panthers @ Buccaneers — Pick: Panthers +8 (-110): Bryce Young was stellar in the Panthers’ upset of the Cardinals last week. He continues his strong play and the Panthers keep it within a TD against the Bucs.
Packers @ Vikings — Pick: Vikings -1.5 (-110): Darnold and the Vikings have a lot more to play for than the Packers. Take them to get the job done.
Cardinals @ Rams — Pick: Under 47.5 points (-110): Both teams found major success on the ground last week and will try and establish the run early and often. Expect the clock to roll in a low-scoring affair.
Wednesday, Dec. 25 (Christmas)
Kansas City Chiefs 29, Pittsburgh Steelers 10
Baltimore Ravens 31, Houston Texans 2
Seattle Seahawks 6, Chicago Bears 3
Los Angeles Chargers at New England Patriots, 1 p.m. ET
Denver Broncos at Cincinnati Bengals, 4:30 p.m. ET
Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Rams, 8:10 p.m. ET
New York Jets at Buffalo Bills, 1 p.m. ET
Tennessee Titans at Jacksonville Jaguars, 1 p.m. ET
Las Vegas Raiders at New Orleans Saints, 1 p.m. ET
Indianapolis Colts at New York Giants, 1 p.m. ET
Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1 p.m. ET
Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles, 1 p.m. ET
Miami Dolphins at Cleveland Browns, 4:05 p.m. ET
Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings, 4:25 p.m. ET
Atlanta Falcons at Washington Commanders, 8:20 p.m. ET
Detroit Lions at San Francisco 49ers, 8:15 p.m. ET