While the Minnesota Vikings spent their Sunday in Seattle awaiting a Monday Night Football clash with the Seahawks, it was another drama-filled day in the NFL with numerous results affecting the playoff picture and the outlook for the Vikings.

Here’s what we learned.

• NFL Wild Card contenders refuse to put the pressure on Minnesota. Three teams entered Sunday with a 6-6 record hoping to jump the Vikings with a victory — all of them lost. Carolina lost its fifth straight against the Cleveland Browns to plunge below .500. Washington lost its fourth straight game, getting shellacked by the New York Giants, and used its fourth quarterback in four weeks after benching Mark Sanchez. And Philadelphia — who might’ve posed the biggest threat to Minnesota — lost a thriller in overtime to the Dallas Cowboys. The Vikings can now lose Monday and still control their own destiny to make the playoffs, which is remarkable considering how the conference looked a month ago.
• The Bears had a statement win over the Rams. Looks like the North might belong to Chicago. The Bears held Los Angeles to a season-low in yards (214) by a 125-yard margin and a season-high in turnovers with four. Jared Goff fared even worse than Kirk Cousins did on a Sunday night at Soldier Field, finishing with a 6.2 QBR. Chicago’s magic number is two to clinch the NFC North, which could happen as early as next week. Minnesota would need to win out and get a Bears loss versus Green Bay or at San Francisco to have a shot at the division.
• The Vikings’ last opponent and next opponent played each other. And boy, was it crazy. The New England Patriots lost to the Miami Dolphins 34-33 on a last-second, hook-and-ladder play that sent shockwaves across social media. Minnesota plays Miami in Week 15, having already lost 24-10 in Week 13 to the Patriots. On one hand, Miami played a sloppy first half, allowing 27 points and having two punts blocked. On the other, they held the Patriots to just two second-half field goals and scored 34 points against a solid defense. Will the Dolphins have a letdown after the Miami Miracle like the Vikings had after the Minneapolis Miracle? The Dolphins and Vikings play at noon next Sunday.

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Sam Ekstrom

Sam Ekstrom is an executive producer and host at Locked On Sports Minnesota. He's previously covered the Vikings for 105 The Ticket, Zone Coverage, Purple Insider, and the Associated Press. He grew up in Vermillion, S.D. rooting for the USD Coyotes (not SDSU) and graduated from Dordt (not "dork") University in Sioux Center, Iowa.

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