The NFC North is the most competitive division in the NFL in recent memory. You have the top three teams all within two games of each other, which means that as we enter the middle of December, they all still have a chance to win the division.
While the Detroit Lions remain in the driver’s seat, the Minnesota Vikings are hot on their heels as they approach a Week 18 matchup.
According to ESPN’s projection model, the Vikings have an 11% chance to catch the Lions in the season’s final weeks. As for the Packers, they have a less than 1% chance. The bottom line is that the Vikings need the Lions to lose one game before they can face each other in Week 18. Of course, the Vikings would have to win that matchup to get the advantage, win the division, and likely secure a Bye Week in the process.
The odds that ESPN gives the Vikings of securing a Bye Week are just 8%, while their odds to win the division are the same as they are to win the Super Bowl, 11%.
