Last week Cris Carter Jersey , od for playoff positioning, and I asked you, the good folks of The Daily Norseman commentariat, to decide on whether or not you wanted this to be a weekly thing. You voted ‘Yes’, by a razor thin 83-17% margin, so I guess in for a penny, in for a pound. Let’s take a look at how Sunday night’s loss to New Orleans affected the playoff chances and overall positioning for the Vikings, and we’ll look at the rest of the NFC North as well.First, a quick review. After the Jets game last week, the Vikings playoff chances stood at 68%, and I compared them to the rest of the teams in the NFC North, using the 538 playoff predictor:A win against New Orleans would have really gone a long way in not only helping the Vikings playoff chances, but would have pulled them within half a game of New Orleans, AND they would have had a head to head tiebreaker over them for the number two seed and a first round bye. Maybe not as big a deal with that week two tie to Green Bay on the record, but it was still a big game with a lot of implications. Obviously, Minnesota didn’t win, so let’s see what the new numbers for this week are:In a nutshell Chris Doleman Jersey , the loss to New Orleans was huge. Minnesota is now just has a 50/50 shot to make the playoffs, but they still have the best chance to win the division, which seems kinda odd since they got knocked out of first, at least for the time being. The loss also crippled their chances to get a first round bye, going from 20% to 5%.The Bears playoff chances had the biggest boost, as they beat the Jets at home, and went from a 28% chance to 40% shot at making the playoffs. Because of their win and Minnesota’s loss, they also took over first place in the NFC North...just as everyone predicted for the halfway point of this season.Green Bay and Detroit both lost, and of the two teams, Detroit took the biggest blow, going from 35% down to a 19% chance to make the postseason. But that’s still better than the Packers, who went from 23% to 18%.Now, let’s go back over to the NFL playoff predictor page, and play a little ‘what if’.First, we’ll look at our Beloved Purple.If the playoffs started today, the Vikings would be on the outside looking in as the seventh seed. The Bears would be the division champions, the number four seed Chuck Foreman Jersey , and the only NFC North team in the playoffs. Had the Vikings won Sunday Night and all other results remained the same, they would be the fourth seed, and the Bears would be the sixth seed.Detroit really hurt themselves with their home loss to Seattle. Had they won, and nothing else changed, they would be the fourth seed right now, with Chicago the sixth. As it is, their fortunes swung wildly with the loss, dropping all the way down to the 13th seed, and the 11th overall pick in the draft. Whew, talk about Chutes and Ladders.Green Bay is currently the eighth seed, right behind Minnesota. Had they beat the Rams, they move in to first place, even if the Lions had won. Ironically, in that scenario (Detroit and GB wins), Detroit grabs the sixth seed over Chicago, who drops to seventh ahead of eighth place Minnesota.There’s still a lot of football left to play, and with three consecutive division games Paul Krause Jersey , we’ll get a lot more clarity as to where they stand in the playoff picture a month from now. If they can win all three, it would be huge, and a 3-0-1 mark in the division with just the Lions and Bears left would have them in an enviable position.And don’t look now, but if things play out like I think they might, I have a feeling the last game of the season, at home against the Bears, will be for the division championship.Again, just like everyone saw coming when the schedule first came out. Is it ever easy with this team? Asking for a friend.There is no telling what the Vikings trip to Los Angeles will bring. An incompetent offensive line has to deal with Aaron Donald, Ndamukong Suh, and Michael Brockers. Sure, Aqib Talib is out, and Marcus Peters is not likely to play, and if he does, he will be hampered. But it won’t matter what corners are lined up against Thielen and Diggs, it doesn’t seem as though Cousins will have time to find them the ball anyway. The running game? Nonexistent for the most part this season. The biggest question one must ask about this team is where there heads are at right now. It’s not just the absence of Everson Griffen, it’s everything surrounding it. Nobody knows if he’ll play this season, or ever again. They sure looked like a distracted team on Sunday Fran Tarkenton Jersey , and there is little reason to believe this team can do anything against the Rams. Then again, there was little reason to believe the Bills would do what they did in U.S. Bank Stadium in Week 3.Let’s dive in:Kirk Cousins projected stats: 27-46, 267 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception, 1 fumbleBreakdown: Cousins was pressured in some form on more than half of his drop backs against the Bills. The Vikings did very little to improve their offensive line in the offseason, and it has shown in all three games so far. Cousins has been sacked, hit, and harassed on at least every other offensive drive. Along with that, the running game has done nothing to help him, something that many analysts and fans thought would be a huge help to him, and something he didn’t have in Washington. But it would go entirely against the run of play this season to believe Cousins won’t have big struggles in Los Angeles, and have to throw way more than he should once again.Running Backs (Combination of whoever plays, pending the health of Dalvin Cook) Projected stats: 14 carries, 59 yards.Breakdown: Dalvin Cook only averaged 3 yards per carry in the first two weeks of the season. While the 49ers and Packers have some talent in their respective front seven’s, neither squad possess what the Rams have. In last season’s matchup, the Vikings dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball in the 2nd half. The Rams responded by signing Suh Brett Favre Jersey , and improving the scheme of their offensive line. Simply put, I have zero faith the Vikings will get anything going in the running game at all.Adam Thielen: 10 catches, 98 yardsStefon Diggs: 6 catches, 77 yards, 1 touchdownBreakdown: As stated earlier, I don’t believe it matters what defensive backs line up on Thielen and Diggs. I just don’t believe Cousins will have adequate time to throw in the pocket. Rams defensive coordinator Wade Phillips is masterful at getting pressure, and this game should be no different. It’s sad that entering Week 4, it is a a time filled with more question marks than a year ago. Troubling to say the least.Kyle Rudolph: 8 catches, 89 yards, 1 touchdownBreakdown: The Rams have a group of no-name linebackers. Their linebackers could also spend a lot of time bracketing Thielen and Diggs to compensate for the absence of Talib and Peters. This could mean Kyle Rudolph is in for a big day. He seems to have decent chemistry with Cousins, and he looks crisp running his routes this season. I feel he’s been a bit better than I thought he would be, but I don’t think he himself can alter the outcome in L.A.Prayers up for Everson Griffen. Get well soon.