'Now it's really a 3-game season': Vikings continue playoff push at Chargers
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Bisi Johnson #81 catches a pass for a touchdown as Detroit Lions cornerback Amani Oruwariye #24 defends during the first quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium on December 08, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. ((Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images))
EAGAN - Kirk Cousins might have said it best Wednesday as the Minnesota Vikings began preparations to face the L.A. Chargers on Sunday.
“Now it’s really a three-game season, and I think we’re going to need every single one of these games to put ourselves in a good position for January football,” Cousins said.
He’s right. The Vikings head to L.A. with a 9-4 record, facing a Chargers team that’s been eliminated from the AFC Playoff picture. That’s even after the Chargers (5-8) beat the Jacksonville Jaguars last Sunday.
The bottom line is this: The Vikings control their own destiny with three games left, two at home against NFC North Division opponents. If they win all three remaining games, they finish 12-4 and will, at worst, be in the Wild Card playoffs.
If the season ended today, the Vikings would be the No. 6 seed at 9-4. The 49ers (11-2), Packers (10-3), Saints (10-3) and Cowboys (6-7) are the division leaders. Seattle (10-3), which just beat the Vikings on Monday Night Football, would be the other Wild Card team.
The Packers have a one-game lead on the Vikings in the NFC North, and the two teams meet for Monday Night Football on Dec. 23 at U.S. Bank Stadium in a game that will likely be full of playoff implications. The Bears could do the Vikings a big favor in the NFC North with a win at Lambeau Field this weekend.
The Vikings aren’t focused on any of that. All they care about is leaving L.A. with a victory. Despite the Chargers being out of playoff contention, the Vikings expect to get their best effort.
“I would say it’s harder because guys will never give up in this stage in the season. Guys are still playing for their pride and nobody wants to lose,” wide receiver Stefon Diggs said.
Diggs has become a key part of the Vikings’ offensive attack with Adam Thielen missing most of the last six games with a hamstring injury. Thielen could return Sunday, but Diggs’ latest game-changing catch came just before end of the first half Sunday against the Lions. He made a 44-yard catch down the sideline that set up Dalvin Cook’s touchdown that gave Minnesota a 17-0 lead at the half.
Cook said Wednesday the Vikings probably got their wakeup call for the season against the Denver Broncos. It was the game before their bye week, and they trailed 20-0 at half. They were behind 23-7 before Cousins led them back in the fourth quarter to a 27-23 victory.
It was a lesson learned, and they don’t plan on repeating it against the Chargers on Sunday. Not when every win gets them that much closer to the playoffs.
“It’s football, it’s the NFL so you can’t take no team lightly. We know we can’t take no team lightly, you never want to play from behind so we’ve got to go out there and jump on them fast. Play our type of football,” Cook said.
One element the Vikings can take pride in this season is their ability to bounce back from adversity. They haven’t lost two straight games all season. After losing to the Seahawks on Monday Night Football, they beat the Lions.
They beat the Oakland Raiders after losing at Green Bay. The beat the Giants after a Week 4 loss at the Bears. They knocked off the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football after losing the previous week at Kansas City. The Vikings have an ability to wipe the slate clean after games and not let one loss, so far, send the season into a tailspin.
“I like this team. They come in here and they work, I think they understand what’s at stake every single week. The games that we’ve lost, they’ve been close ballgames. It seems like we find different ways to win all the time,” Zimmer said Monday. “The more ways that we can find ways to win, I think, is important. I think they have confidence, like the Denver game we were down 20-0 and able to come back. Find ways to keep fighting and keep trying to score points and win games.”
Cousins said before the Vikings played Detroit, who entered last Sunday with a 3-8-1 record, that it would be “immature” and that you would “have to be clueless” to overlook the Lions. He also said after the win that it felt “weird” and that “you just kind of shrug your shoulders and move on.”
It was a game they had to win, and it wasn’t pretty at times, but they got the win and stayed mostly healthy. The stakes are now raised with three games to play, their last road game of the season against a non-playoff team and needing another win to solidify a possible playoff spot.
There shouldn’t be any talk of overlooking going on. The Chargers beat the Bears 17-14 on Oct. 27, and the following week, pummeled the Packers 26-11. All eight of their losses are by eight points or fewer.
“I feel like this one will be a big challenge for us. Any time you go on the road, it’s also going to add some adversity. We’ve got to be able to get this one, this is a big one for us,” Cousins said.
The possibilities are endless for the Vikings at this point. They could win out, earn the NFC North title and potentially even get a first-round bye. They could finish in one of the two Wild Card spots and likely be in the road for the majority of the playoffs. What matters is beating the Chargers on Sunday.
The beauty of their schedule is their postseason destiny will likely come down to two home games against their biggest rivals, the Packers and Bears. Nothing is guaranteed, just look at how last year finished.