Kirk Cousins and the Minnesota Vikings scored a massive victory in Week 11, as they kept their postseason chances very much alive by taking down Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers at home. Now back to .500 after falling to a 3-5 record a couple of weeks ago, the Vikings now prepare for another game that could define whether they make it to the postseason or miss the boat to the playoffs, per FiveThirtyEight (h/t Chad Graff of The Athletic).

The Vikings have a 59 percent chance of reaching the playoffs, per @FiveThirtyEight. Those odds increase to 83 percent if they beat the 49ers Sunday, and drop to 43 percent if they lose in San Francisco.

Although catching the 8-3 Packers for the top spot in the NFC North is highly unlikely for the 5-5 Vikings, they have a good shot at securing one of the wild card tickets to the playoffs. If they could beat the San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara this coming Sunday, the Vikings can strengthen their playoff chances by taking advantage of a seemingly favorable schedule the rest of the way.

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The logo for the 2024 NFL Draft is in the middle of the image. On the left side is a logo of the Minnesota Vikings with a green up arrow next to it. On the right side is a silhouette of an American football helmet with a question mark inside it. There is a red down arrow next to the helmet.

Ben Strauss ·

Caleb Williams will go first, and then the Patriots and Vikings will play poker

Steve Silverman ·

Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah with a phone in his hand. Kwesi also has a speech bubble that says “Let’s make a deal!” Next to him is a logo for the 2024 NFL Draft.

Ben Strauss ·

Although they still have games against the Los Angeles Rams and a rematch with the Packers, the Vikings also have matchups against the struggling Detroit Lions, Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Chicago Bears (twice).