There are several ways the Vikings can clinch a playoff spot this weekend.
The most satisfying thing would be if the Vikings do it themselves by beating the Chicago Bears on Monday night at US Bank Stadium. This is also the easiest way, as there is no need for other teams to win or lose.
The only problem with this scenario is that the Vikings may have already punched their ticket before even taking the field against the Bears on Monday Night Football.
Other ways the Vikings clinch a playoff spot: The Los Angeles Rams lose to the San Francisco 49ers Thursday night at Levi’s Stadium; The Seattle Seahawks lose to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night at Lumen Field.
The fact that the Vikings are in this position goes against what many football observers predicted before the season started.
Not that head coach Kevin O’Connell has any doubts. He made an impression during organized team activities in the spring, then expressed confidence in this particular group of players during training camp in the summer. He promised them that if they all joined, they would have the chance to do something special.
“Our guys have been a mature enough team to deliver that message over and over again,” O’Connell said. “It’s been a success for us, so we’re going to continue to pursue it.”
A chance to go full throttle
Since the Vikings have another 24 hours before hosting the Bears in prime time, they decided their Wednesday afternoon practice at the TCO Performance Center would be held in full houses.
For what?
“There are only so many with the rules here,” O’Connell said. “We can do some good physical work here and still have a lot of time to turn these guys over and slow the pace down.”
It’s unclear where cornerback Stephon Gilmore (hamstring) and edge rusher Pat Jones II (knee) are in the recovery process. The injury report will not be released until after Thursday afternoon’s practice due to the schedule change.
“We’ll see what they can do,” O’Connell said. “We’d like to have both guys, and if not we know we have guys who can step up.”
No reunion with Osborn
After being released by the New England Patriots on Tuesday afternoon, former Vikings wide receiver KJ Osborn was claimed off waivers by the Washington Commanders on Wednesday afternoon.
While it’s unclear if the Vikings would have been interested in Osborn if he had cleared waivers, he is familiar with the offense so it might have made sense to try to sign him to the team training.
Originally selected by the Vikings in the 2020 NFL Draft, Osborn has recorded 165 catches for 1,902 yards and 16 touchdowns in 66 career games.
