National Football League

Vikings know the odds are against Sunday's loser making the playoffs

Published Oct. 15, 2010 10:12 a.m. ET

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The Vikings are running out of tomorrows to pull out of their spiral and historical markers to direct a course correction.

Sunday's game against the Dallas Cowboys at the Metrodome pits 1-3 teams against each other in a season-defining Week 6 matchup.

A victory will brace one team's freefall, while stumbling to 1-4 practically guarantees the other will be making vacation plans come January.

"We've finished the first quarter of football and we don't have time to go through this next quarter and say, 'We've got time; we've got time,' " Vikings offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie said Thursday.

"We've got to speed things up in a hurry."

Because history paints a grim picture for Sunday's loser.

Since 1990, when the NFL expanded to its 12-team postseason format, 240 teams have qualified for the playoffs but only five that started 1-4 -- a minuscule 2 percent.

All of those teams rallied to win their respective divisions, and three have done it in the past eight years. The 2002 Tennessee Titans rebounded all the way to the AFC championship game before bowing to the Oakland Raiders.

The last team to accomplish the rare feat was Brett Favre's 2004 Green Bay Packers, whom the Vikings upset in the wild-card round at Lambeau Field.

For quick turnarounds, the Vikings need only hearken back to 2008, when they lost their first two games en route to a 1-3 start but rallied to win the NFC North with a 10-6 record.

Before Week 3, coach Brad Childress benched ineffective quarterback Tarvaris Jackson in favor of backup Gus Frerotte, who went 8-3 as a starter before getting injured early in Week 14 against Detroit.

Jackson returned and led Minnesota to victories in three of its last four games before the Vikings lost 26-14 to the Philadelphia Eagles in the wild-card round.

The rally started in Week 5 at New Orleans with a wild and weird Monday night victory over the Saints.

Ryan Longwell's 30-yard field goal with 13 seconds remaining secured the win. Despite allowing Reggie Bush to return a pair of punts for touchdowns, the Vikings took advantage of four Saints turnovers, and cornerback Antoine Winfield returned a blocked field goal for a touchdown.

More than 30 players remain from that 2008 team, and linebacker E.J. Henderson says the experience was useful to put this year's struggles in context.

"Veteran team, veteran roster. A lot of the guys have been in this situation before and have finished semi-successful," Henderson said. "We've been here before. We'll do a good job of rallying around the veterans that we have and come out Sunday and prove we're a better team than 1-3."

Consider the schedule, though, when comparing the circumstances of 2010 to '08.

Two years ago, the Vikings played a soft schedule over the last three quarters of the season. Their 10 opponents finished a combined 77-83 (.461), and only three made the playoffs.

This year, Minnesota's 10 remaining opponents are a combined 24-24, with five either leading their division or tied for first place.

After Dallas, the Vikings enter their toughest stretch of the season, with road games at Green Bay (3-2), New England (3-1) and Chicago (4-1) wrapped around their Nov. 7 matchup with Arizona (3-2) at the Metrodome.

"I know this team is known for going on six-game win streaks. Hopefully, it comes soon," said McKinnie. "We don't have time to keep pushing it out. I think things will eventually click and move the way things are supposed to move. I just thing it's taking awhile."

1 AND 4-GET IT

Only five 1-4 teams have made the playoffs in the past 20 years:

Year Team Record Result

1992 San Diego Chargers 11-5 Won AFC West; lost to Miami in divisional playoff

1993 Houston Oilers 12-4 Won AFC Central; lost to Kansas City in divisional playoff

2002 Tennessee Titans 11-5 Won AFC South; lost to Oakland in conference championship

2002 New York Jets 9-7 Won AFC East; lost to Oakland in divisional playoff

2004 Green Bay Packers 10-6 Won NFC North; lost to Minnesota in wild card

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