You've Got to Back Somebody--Week 15

As I said on Wednesday, the NFC playoff picture is starting to clear up a little bit. And if the games this Sunday go the Vikings’ way, it’s going to be a lot easier to decide who to root for the last two weeks. But don’t worry—even if it’s painfully obvious who the Vikings need to win in Weeks 16 and 17, I’ll still post these, since I know you'd miss them otherwise.

New York-A (7-6) @ Minnesota (6-7): As usual, I’m going to start out with an easy one. The Vikings need to win this game, both because their margin of error is thin, and because it would reassure me that they can beat the Packers at Lambeau and the Rams at home. That being said, the Vikings can still make the playoffs if they lose this game, but they’ll need some help from the Falcons, Cowboys, Giants and Eagles.

Detroit (2-11) @ Green Bay (5-8): This game has no ramifications on the playoff picture whatsoever, but I would definitely enjoy watching Brett Farve end his career on a losing team. Or, even better, have him decide that he does not want to go out as a loser and so continue to hold back the Packers’ rebuilding efforts one more year (and breaking the career mark for interceptions thrown while doing so).

San Francisco (6-8) @ Seattle (8-6): If Seattle can win this game, they’ll knock the Niners out of the playoff hunt, something that could be key to the Vikings’ playoff hopes, since San Francisco has the head to head tiebreaker over the Purple. Wait….What? They played on Thursday night? And the Seahawks lost? Stupid NFL network not showing the games they claim to be broadcasting.

Pittsburgh (6-7) @ Carolina (6-7): If the Steelers win here, they guarantee that the Panthers are out of the playoff chase, since every team ahead of Carolina has beaten them. So yes, that means you have to root against Minnesota native Chris Weinke. Is backing the opponent of a Minnesota native really that big of a deal? I guess so.

St. Louis (5-8) @ Oakland (2-11): After the Cardinals got their second win against the Rams, Mark Bulger called out his teammates for their lack of effort. Realistically, for the Raiders to win, the Rams are going to have to show the same disregard for winning that they showed against Arizona. So what I’m saying is, don’t bother watching this game, because it's going to be ugly. But when you look at the scoreboard, hope that the Raiders win, since it will knock the Rams out of the wild card chase.

Dallas (8-5) @ Atlanta (7-6): This one is kind of tricky. If the Falcons’ win, they’ll bring the Cowboys back to the wild card pack, which could be good for the Vikings, since they would hold the tiebreaker over Dallas if they finished tied for a wild card spot. That being said, it’s for the best if the Cowboys win, since it would (hopefully) allow the Vikings to be in a three way tie for the last wild card spot going into the final two weeks. And the Vikings will hold the tiebreaker over the Falcons if they’re tied at 8-8 or 9-7.

Philadelphia (7-6) @ New York-N (7-6): As usual, there’s one game whose ramifications are almost impossible to decipher, and this is that game. Either way, one of the teams leading the Vikings in the standings is going to lose, so this game is guaranteed to help the Vikings either way. Of the two, Vikings’ fans should probably be rooting for the Giants, since the Eagles have to play at Dallas and at home against Atlanta, making it more likely the Vikings will be able to out play them over the last two weeks. To be honest, however, what’s most important is that the loser loses at least once more, allowing the Vikings to pass them by winning their last two games.

[I'll be out of town for until Wednesday, so it's possible I won't be posting on Monday or Tuesday. I should be able to find time, but I thought I'd warn you, since I know how annoying it can be when a favorite site isn't updated when you expect it.