Coming off their bye week, the Minnesota Vikings are sitting pretty with a three-game lead in the NFC North Division while the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears have each entered full-on crisis mode. (Since this post is about the NFC North playoff race, there will be no mention of the Detroit Lions.)

While watching demoralizing losses by the Packers and Bears, the Vikings also used the bye to heal several hobbled players, including quarterback Brett Favre (groin), cornerback Antoine Winfield (foot) and wide receivers Percy Harvin (shoulder), Bernard Berrian (hamstring) and Darius Reynaud (hamstring).

It wasn’t supposed to go this away. Aside from the NFC East, the NFC North was supposed to be the most highly contended division in the league. Instead, the season has reached it’s official midpoint and we already know:

-The Packers will struggle to finish above .500. At 4-4, the Packers still host the Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens and travel to play the Bears, Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals. The Packers must win all five of those games just to make 9-7. More likely: A 7-9 finish. Welcome to the hot seat, coach Mike McCarthy.

-The Bears are who we thought they were. They might be 4-4, but that should be considered a blessing with the injuries they’ve suffered on defense and their utter lack of an impact player on offense. Quarterback Jay Cutler has done a lot with very little, but the Bears still face the Vikings twice, along with home games against the Philadelphia Eagles and Packers and road games against the San Francisco 49ers and Ravens. Even 8-8 sounds optimistic.

In retrospect, the Vikings are lucky to be at 7-1. Without last-second wins over the Ravens and 49ers, the Vikings are 5-3 with a one-game divisional lead. And suddenly, their second-half schedule looks much more formidable. They play:

-Three should-win games out of the gate, hosting the Lions, Seattle Seahawks and Bears.

-At Arizona against a pass offense that’s running on all cylinders.

-At home against Cincinnati, who despite losing wide receiver Chris Henry this weekend to a broken forearm are still one of the most dangerous teams in the league.

-At Carolina where the Panthers are always a threat with Jonathon Stewart and DeAngelo Williams in the backfield.

-At Soldier Field where the Bears always seem to give the Vikings fits.

-At home against the New York Giants, who in the midst of a four-game losing streak may on their way to being a season-spoiler by Week 17.

-A moderate estimate puts the Vikings no worse than 12-4, but probably no better than 14-2. The focus down the stretch should be keeping pace with the New Orleans Saints to contend for home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Funny. It’s midseason and we can reasonably discuss the Vikings’ playoff seeding. Some divisional race this turned out to be.

(Picture Source)



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