The end of the 2023 NFL season is upon us and Sunday afternoon could spell the end of the Minnesota Vikings season. They only have a 3% chance to make the playoffs after losing their last three games and six of their last seven.
The Vikings had a chance to control their own destiny on multiple occasions but couldn’t make it happen for a myriad of reasons. With the final game coming against a Detroit Lions team that is still raging after feeling screwed against the Dallas Cowboys, their road to the playoffs has become that much more difficult.
Ahead of Sunday’s game, our staff identified four storylines to watch against the Lions.
Managing editor Tyler Forness: Will the Vikings mix in young players for development?
Going into the final game of the regular season, the Vikings sit at about a three percent chance to make the playoffs. They do need to win on Sunday afternoon to have a chance but it will be a difficult task against an angry Lions team. At what point could we see Kevin O’Connell start to mix in some of the younger players to both get them experience and evaluate them with next season in mind. Players like Lewis Cine and Brian Asamoah II who haven’t seen many snaps this season and might not be in the future plans for the defense.
Columnist Judd Zulgad: How do the Vikings rebound?
The Vikings’ playoff hopes are on life support but even if they don’t beat the NFC North champion Lions, it will be worth seeing how they rebound from an embarrassing home loss last Sunday to the Green Bay Packers. The Vikings were battling injury issues, as were the Packers, but that didn’t explain a 33-10 setback. The loss included a subpar effort from a defense that has been one of the NFL’s biggest surprises. Coach Kevin O’Connell takes pride in having established a positive culture within the Vikings, and it will be interesting to see how much pride his players show in what likely will be their final game of the season.
Columnist Saivion Mixson: Building momentum
This season for the Minnesota Vikings and their fans has been one of the most unpredictable roller coasters that a person will ever ride. There was the threat of fire-selling the team’s top assets, including Danielle Hunter and Kirk Cousins and jumpstarting the rebuild. Followed up by an improbable five-game win streak, with the final two games led by Josh Dobbs, who was just traded five days before and had to learn to the names of his teammates, let alone build trust with them, in-game.
Then, the sobering reality that the quarterback position is still in flux, losing five of the last six while starting all three backups in search of an answer. Now, the big finish. One final statement to put on the 2023 season. Whether they find their way into the playoffs or not, the Vikings owe it to themselves to end this season on a high note and upset the Detroit Lions, who are still looking to contend for a two-seed and build momentum, whether that’s into next season or into their wild-card matchup next week.
Columnist Chris Spooner: Do the Vikings have any fight left?
This season has been a tough one. Every season is tough in the NFL, but this one has been brutal. And yet the Vikings, despite everything, have been in the thick of it until the very end. It would have been easy for Minnesota to fold after losing Kirk Cousins. Instead, the defense put the team on their back, the front office went out and got a quarterback they thought could shoulder the load, and they managed to do enough to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Those playoff hopes went on life support after last week’s debacle against the Packers. Was that loss the knockout blow to the Vikings’ season, or can they get up off the mat one more time and continue the fight? This week is so important to a number of guys fighting for jobs next year, fighting for new contracts, and fighting to prove they deserve their station. Will that be enough to see this team do a 180 from Sunday night?
