Opinion Corner: 8-8 possible for Vikes

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Pipe dreams can be useful, too.

As a Minnesota Vikings fan, it’s all I have regarding my team’s playoff chances.

Even if Minnesota finishes the season 3-2 — which would be a feat in itself —that still only gets the Vikings to a 9-7 record with losses to Tampa Bay and Seattle, two teams vying for a wildcard spot.

Nobody can say Minnesota didn’t have its chances. It could have won those two games and put itself in great position. Unfortunately, the Vikings aren’t good enough to win without all of their pieces.

Whatever games Percy Harvin misses the rest of the way, put your money on a loss. This team fought hard for wins at full strength and without one of its two best players, it likely can’t win.

That doesn’t mean we should throw away hope. Many predictions put the Vikings at 3-13 again and they have surpassed that. I said if they got to seven wins this season, I’d be a pretty happy Vikings fan. I’d say wins against the Bears at home and vs. the Rams, with losses to the Texans and the Packers twice for an 8-8 record.

If that happens, you won’t hear me complain.

The picks:

Houston (10-1) at Tennessee (4-7): The Texans are kind of like the Falcons of the AFC. They seem to squeak by everyone, good or bad. More of the same. Texans 27, Titans 23

New England (8-3) at Miami (5-6): The Dolphins have been resilient and should put up a good fight here. Patriots 31, Dolphins 20

Jacksonville (2-9) at Buffalo (4-7): With quarterback Chad Henne at the helm, this should surprisingly be an entertaining game. Expect a shootout. Jaguars 38, Bills 35

Indianapolis (7-4) at Detroit (4-7): The Colts may have a better record, but this could be a trap game for Indy. The Lions offense is explosive. Lions 34, Colts 31

Carolina (3-8) at Kansas City (1-10): It’s really hard to imagine the Chiefs beating anyone right now with that anemic offense. Maybe they’ll call for Christian Ponder. Panthers 24, Chiefs 13

Arizona (4-7) at N.Y. Jets (4-7): Which quarterback won’t screw up the win here? I’ll say Sanchez. Jets 13, Cardinals 10

San Francisco (8-2-1) at St. Louis (4-6-1): The two teams tied when they played earlier this season, an ending to a game that should never be allowed. In the spirit of terrible ties, I’m going to pick it. Rams 23, 49ers 23, tie.

Minnesota (6-5) at Green Bay (7-4): Visions of Aaron Rodgers completing passes on quick-slant patterns over and over. The Vikings couldn’t stop it when Brett Favre played; they can’t stop it now. Packers 27, Vikings 23

Seattle (6-5) at Chicago (8-3): The Bears have problems and they tend to struggle against teams that look like them. Seahawks 24, Bears 20

Tampa Bay (6-5) at Denver (8-3): Like Miami, Tampa Bay is resilient. They find a way. If only they weren’t facing Peyton Manning. Broncos 20, Bucs 17

Cincinnati (6-5) at San Diego (4-7): Andy Dalton is heating up, while Philip Rivers stays ice cold. Bengals 31, Chargers 23

Cleveland (3-8) at Oakland (3-8): A pair of terrible teams squaring off, but it’s hard to ignore Cleveland’s 0-5 record on the road this year. Raiders 30, Chargers 24

Pittsburgh (6-5) at Baltimore (9-2): No Big Ben, no win. Ravens 17, Steelers 14

Philadelphia (3-8) at Dallas (5-6): I’m not sure a team has done less with more talent than Philly. Dallas is typically the team to hold on to that spot. Cowboys 28, Eagles 17

N.Y. Giants (7-4) at Washington (5-6): Robert Griffin III has the talent to keep the Redskins in most games, but the Giants appear poised for a late-season run. Giants 38, Redskins 28

Season: 90-58

Sun sportswriter Chris Aarhus can be reached at 701- 952-8462 or by email at caarhus@jamestownsun.com

Tags: sports, vikings, nfl