We get off to a lackluster start tonight as the embattled Steelers take on the beleaguered Vikings in Minnesota.
I’m not sure it’s lackluster. I’d argue it’s a
de facto elimination game between two teams on the fringe of playoff contention.
The Vikings are 5-7. There will be at least one 9-8 playoff team in the NFC, so they need to win four of their last five. The Vikings still get to play the Bears twice, so if they win those two and beat Pittsburgh tonight, they’ll probably snag a playoff berth if they can upset either the Rams or the Packers. On the other hand, if the Vikings lose tonight they almost certainly have to win out, which is exceedingly unlikely.
The Steelers are 6-5-1. They probably need to finish 9-7-1 to have any shot at a playoff spot, so that requires them to win three of their last five — MIN, TEN, @KC, CLE, and @BAL. I don’t see a path to winning three of those last four (the Browns game is the only one where they might be favored), so they really need a win tonight too.
