In what can only be described as an eventful season, the Minnesota Vikings somehow find themselves with a 6-6 record after 12 games. The simplicity of their .500 record does not come close to painting an accurate picture of how the season has gone — they have looked like a Super Bowl contender at times and have looked like a playoff pretender at others.
Injuries to their two key offensive players after a nightmarish 0-3 start had them closer to the first overall pick than the current Vikings playoff chances. An incredible bounceback from the team saw it win six of its next seven games but two recent losses have Minnesota back at 6-6, desperately clinging to the final wild card spot surrounded by other 6-6 teams.
MinnesotaBets.com decided to take a look at how 6-6 teams have fared over the past five NFL seasons, using ChampsorChumps.us to see how the 50 previous teams with the same record finished the season.
Season Performance of Teams Starting 6-6
If Minnesota betting apps were available, the information in the table below would be useful for bettors. Below you'll see just how often 6-6 NFL make the playoffs.
The .500 Vikings Have a Chance at Postseason
Looking back at the league’s recent history shows that only 19 of 50 6-6 teams have made the playoffs in the past five seasons: 12 who lost in the wildcard round, five who lost in the divisional round, and two who lost in the conference championship. With starting QB Kirk Cousins out for the year and veteran fill-in Josh Dobbs slowing down after a strong start, Minnesota is trending toward becoming one of the 6-6 teams to not make the playoffs. Losses to the Broncos and Bears in recent weeks could prove to be a death blow for a team trying to hold off several challengers in the race for a wild card spot.
After a much-needed off week in Week 13, the Vikings head into the season’s 14th week needing to turn their season around, and they appear to be getting their top offensive player back in wide receiver Justin Jefferson. If he does play, Jefferson will be catching passes from Dobbs, who is coming off of a career-worst four-interception game against Chicago and is barely clinging on to the starting gig. A bad performance from Dobbs will almost assuredly mean Jaren Hall comes in to start for the rest of the season. With Jefferson adding to an already strong receiving corps, Dobbs is in the best position he has been in all season long.
The odds of a 6-6 team making the playoffs are not in the Vikings' favor, nor is their overall level of play which is trending downward. However, anyone who has followed this Vikings season knows the team has been incredibly unpredictable so anyone who thinks they know how the season will end is at risk of being proven very, very wrong.
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