With the Chicago Bears defeating the Cleveland Browns earlier this afternoon, the Minnesota Vikings have officially been eliminated from playoff contention.
The Vikings needed a lot of things to go right to close out 2025 to even consider making the big dance. They obviously didn’t get much help, as they are already out after the first slate of games of Week 15.
Vikings Needed Heaps of Help to Make Playoffs
GettyVikings head coach Kevin O’Connell
Their path to the playoffs was covered earlier this week in another Heavy on Vikings piece.
Consider what the path was looking like going into Week 15, via Sports Illustrated‘s Joe Nelson:
Here’s the help the Vikings need in Week 15, and how their chance to make the playoffs rises with each ingredient, according to The Athletic’s Playoff Predictor. All of these are coupled with Vikings wins.
- Browns beat Bears — 2% chance Vikings make the playoffs
- Rams beat Lions — 3% chance Vikings make the playoffs
Here’s the help they need in Week 16:
- Packers beat Bears — 6% chance Vikings make the playoffs
- Steelers beat Lions — 19% chance Vikings make the playoffs
Here’s the help they need in Week 17:
- Commanders beat Cowboys — 24% chance Vikings make the playoffs
- Seahawks beat Panthers — 25% chance Vikings make the playoffs
- 49ers beat Bears — 49% chance Vikings make the playoffs
Here’s the help they need in Week 18:
-
Lions beat Bears — 81% chance Vikings make the playoffs
All of this, of course, is now for not. The Vikings got no help from the Cleveland Browns during the early slate of Week 15. Cleveland fell to the Chicago Bears by a score of 31-3.
The Browns never truly felt like they were competitive in the game. Thus, it was obvious the Vikings were going to be eliminated from the playoffs quite early in the day.
Showdown With Cowboys Now a Stress-Free Watch for Minnesota Fans
GettyGREEN BAY, WISCONSIN – NOVEMBER 23: J.J. McCarthy #9 of the Minnesota Vikings reacts after throwing an interception during the fourth quarter against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on November 23, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
Now that the Vikings have nothing to look forward to past the first week of January, all eyes are upon J.J. McCarthy and draft position. Of course, fans would likely prefer their favorite team to win games, but that is no longer the most important thing from a long-term perspective.
What matters now is J.J. McCarthy. He must continue to show development over these last four games. His Week 14 performance against the Commanders was a breath of fresh air, showing promise to the organization.
Fans will also be monitoring the draft positioning of the Vikings. They will likely end up selecting in the neighborhood of the 10th overall pick. This is well within range for a top-end prospect of the 2025 NFL Draft class.
The Vikings are obviously going to continue to try winning games, that is for certain. However, this doesn’t mean fans need to be as upset as usual with losses. Losses mean a better draft pick, and if that is coupled with good showings from J.J. McCarthy, then it’s even better.
Wins are obviously preferred, as they could generate momentum for 2026. The range of their potential draft pick isn’t very wide, so they might as well try to stack up some W’s.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Vikings Get Brutal Update Ahead of Cowboys Showdown appeared first on Heavy Sports.