The Vikings' Playoff Probability Graph Will Make Minnesota Fans Sad
When you look at the Minnesota Vikings' season in its entirety, it's tough to find a more up-and-down year for an NFL franchise. They lost their young, (potentially) franchise quarterback to a horrific knee injury in camp, and then traded a first-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for Sam Bradford. Bradford then stepped in and started playing, to some, like a league MVP.
And then everything fell apart.
The Vikings' top-ranked defense started playing worse, and the running game -- even prior to Adrian Peterson's near season-ending injury suffered in Week 2 -- couldn't get anything going all year long.
Entering Week 7, the Vikings were 5-0. They, according to our playoff probability numbers, had a 98% chance to make the playoffs.
They didn't make the playoffs.
After the team's Week 6 bye, they went on to lose four straight games. And they won just three games -- including a meaningless Week 17 one -- over their final 11 contests.
Needless to say, the team's rise and fall makes for one hell of a playoff probability graph.
Just like Vikings fans everywhere, the graph is frowning, too.