Ranking all 14 playoff contenders

The Vikings, at 14-3, are about to be one of the toughest wild-card playoff teams in the history of the NFL. They took a tough loss in Detroit on Sunday, but anybody who watched that game could see how much of a street fight that was. There was no shame in losing to the Lions, who pulled away in the fourth quarter. If anything, that defeat could make the Vikings even hungrier as they head into the postseason. You could see the damage Minnesota’s defense can do, as the Lions had to work for every point they got (and still committed two turnovers). Defensive coordinator Brian Flores has done a tremendous job with that unit, and he’s been aided by the collective impact of edge rushers Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel. The contributions of quarterback Sam Darnold can’t be oversold, either, even though he struggled through a rough night against the Lions. He was brought in to hold a job until rookie J.J. McCarthy was ready to play. It now looks like Darnold could be this team’s starter for the foreseeable future, especially with the impressive supporting cast the Vikings have on offense. 

As painful as it was for Minnesota to lose to Detroit, these teams would’ve flipped in this ranking if that game had gone differently. The Vikings now get the opportunity to face the only other team to beat them this season, the Los Angeles Rams, in the Wild Card Round. Ironically, the Vikings lost to the Rams a week after losing to Detroit earlier this season. Given how well Minnesota has played this year, it’s not wise to bet on that result happening a second time.