NFL Week 14 Power Rankings

No. 22 (down 6 spots): Frank Schwab – Yahoo! Sports

The Vikings are far from dead in the Wild Card race, but that’s mostly because the teams outside the top five in the NFC aren’t very good. Perhaps the worst-case scenario for angry Vikings fans would be Minnesota getting the No. 7 seed, then ownership feeling like they can’t make wholesale changes because teams generally don’t do that after a playoff berth.

No. 21 (down 1 spot): Pete Prisco – CBS Sports

That was a terrible loss to the Lions on the road. They face a playoff-like game this week against the Steelers.

No. 21 (down 5 spots): NFL Staff – Bleacher Report

The Minnesota Vikings entered Week 13 with a clear goal: beat the winless Lions, keep the pressure on Washington for the seventh seed in the NFC playoffs and show that they remain a legitimate contender.

Instead, the Vikings handed the Lions their first win of the season on a last-second touchdown pass. In doing so, they dealt a crippling blow to their lagging postseason aspirations.

The Vikings piled up 426 yards of offense, and quarterback Kirk Cousins threw for 340 yards and a pair of touchdowns. They held the lead with less than two minutes left and the Lions out of timeouts.

But while the Vikings played relatively well offensively, the same cannot be said for the defense. Facing a Lions team that ranks in the bottom five leaguewide in both yards and points per game, Minnesota allowed 372 yards, 29 points and a 14-play drive that decided the game.

For the team, it was deflating. For Minnesota’s fans, it was infuriating. And for the team’s playoff chances, it was absolutely debilitating.