There are no ifs and buts about the Minnesota Vikings’ season. A team that should finish in last place in the NFC North can clinch the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs, a bye in the Wild Card round and the NFC North title when they head to Ford Field on Sunday night goes to Detroit and the team defeats rampaging Lions.

This became a reality in Week 17 when the Vikings held off the Green Bay Packers. The 27-25 margin said it was a close game, but the Vikings were in control of the game for more than three quarters before the Packers were able to get involved.

This was a game in which quarterback Sam Darnold took the lead from the start, tearing apart the Packers’ defense with his ability to read where they were vulnerable and then passing the ball to his teammates in those exact spots . While Darnold completed 33 of 43 passes and rushed for a career-best 377 yards with three touchdowns and one interception, the Vikings’ defense took Packers quarterback Jordan Love out of the game.

Love should be the better quarterback in this game, more athletic, stronger and perhaps more decisive than Darnold. He was ready to go against Minnesota’s blitz attack plans designed by defensive coordinator Brian Flores. Instead, the Vikings got more man-to-man coverage than they had all season. Through the first three quarters of the game, Love had just 64 passing yards while completing 10 of 17 attempts.

Love didn’t notice much until the final eight minutes of the game. At that point, he led back-to-back touchdown drives that allowed the Packers to get within two points. But their hopes of a Minneapolis Miracle were dashed when Darnold led the Vikings to two first downs in the final two-plus minutes. The game ended when Darnold made a high arcing throw to running back Cam Akers for a 3^approx-and-2 play and he caught the ball just a few inches from the tops of his shoes for the decisive first down.

The Packers had no timeouts and the Vikings were able to get into victory formation in the final three snaps of the game.

At the start of the season, the Vikings were the underdogs to win the Super Bowl with odds of plus-8,000. Now those odds have dropped to plus-800, and the big change in those numbers tells part of the story. The success the Vikings have had this season, winning 14 of 16 games, has made them very popular with the sports betting public.

But the team itself has something much bigger in mind than just cashing bets for fans. The Vikings have never won a Super Bowl title since joining the NFL in 1961, although they have appeared in the game four times. The Vikings were an NFC powerhouse decades ago when they were coached by Bud Grant and their quarterback was Fran Tarkenton, but since losing a 32-14 decision to the John Madden-coached Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XI, they have been no longer going back. This game was played in 1977.

Kevin O’Connell has a team full of believers

This year’s edition of the Vikings has followed the lead of their optimistic head coach. Kevin O’Connell gets along with everyone and builds positive relationships with his players in the locker room. In today’s NFL world, head coaches have to get along with their players. Disciplinarians have been fired and harsh practices are no longer routine.

However, O’Connell is much more than just a nice guy. His ability to reach quarterbacks and help them perfect their craft makes him special in the NFL. He helped veteran Kirk Cousins ​​during their two years together and has taken his work with Darnold to an even higher level.

The Vikings quarterback is in his seventh year in the NFL, after six previously incredible years with the New York Jets, Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers. He was brought in as a placeholder for rookie quarterback JJ McCarthy, who led Michigan to the national championship a year ago. However, when McCarthy’s season ended with a torn meniscus after the first preseason game, the placeholder became QB1.

The celebration in the Vikings’ locker room was epic after the final seconds ticked away in their win over the Packers. Darnold received a hero’s welcome as the cheerful team sprayed water and lifted him onto their shoulders.

Then O’Connell gave his team their marching orders for the coming week. “What have I been saying all season,” O’Connell asked his players. “It was 1-0 and I don’t have to tell you how important it is this week. I don’t have to tell you!”

Another 1-0 week for the Vikings will move them to the top of the NFC.