Minnesota Vikings
Record: 6-4-1
Remaining Games: @Patriots (8-3), @Seahawks (6-5), Dolphins (5-6), @Lions (4-7), Bears (8-3)
Tiebreaker: N/A, although the record vs. NFC is 5-3-1 and the Panthers is 4-4
Those next two games will likely make clear whether the Panthers can catch the Vikings, who currently own the fifth seed and the inside track to a wild-card spot with a tie being technically better than a loss; the Vikings at 10-5-1 would be ahead of teams that are 10-6, as the Panthers well know from their 2014 adventure. If the Vikings can continue the defensive performances they’ve had the past few weeks, they’ll be a force to reckoned with, not only for the wild-card, but perhaps for the NFC North – that Week 17 game at the Bears may be for more than just a wild-card slot, it may be for the division.
Seattle Seahawks
Record: 6-5
Remaining Games: 49ers (2-9), Vikings (6-4-1), @49ers (2-9), Chiefs (9-2), Cardinals (2-9)
Tiebreaker: Seahawks
As we all remember from this past weekend, the winner of the Panthers/Seahawks tilt would control their own destiny for the playoffs, and the Seahawks now have that privilege – the huge games for the Seahawks, who play four of their next five at home with one of the best home-field advantages in the NFL, will be Week 14 against the Vikings and Week 16 against the Chiefs.
A best-case scenario might be the Vikings losing to the Patriots this upcoming Sunday and then beating the Seahawks to level both teams at seven wins, along with the Cowboys pulling away in the NFC East – if the Panthers win both of their next two on the road, they just might control their own destiny after all, but it starts in the Carolina locker room – none of this matters if the Panthers don’t win the games in front of them.
“If you go out there and take it one game at a time and win one – you’ve got to win one, we’ve got to win one,” said Ron Rivera on Monday. “It’s three [losses] in a row right now – we’ve got to go out and win and that’s just the bottom line. The guys have got to believe that they have an opportunity, that they have a chance to play well, that they have a chance to win.”
“The focus has to be one at a time. That has to be the focus.”
