Overtime loss to Bengals causes big hit to Vikings' playoff chances

The Vikings' hopes of making the playoffs for the second year in a row took a massive hit on Saturday because of their crushing 27-24 overtime loss to the Bengals.

Per The New York Times playoff predictor, Minnesota (7-7) would have had an 84% chance of reaching the playoffs with a win. The loss dropped the likelihood of Minnesota making the postseason to 59%.

Those are still decent odds, but the loss removes Minnesota's margin for error going forward. The Vikings end the season with two games against NFC North-leading Detroit and Green Bay.

If Minnesota won on Saturday, NYT's playoff predictor gave it a 75% chance of reaching the playoffs with a loss in Week 16 to the Lions. However, because of the loss to Cincy, if the Vikes drop next week's game against Detroit, its chances of making the playoffs will dip to 44%.

Minnesota will be fighting for its playoff life next week, and it might have a quarterback controversy to sort through before it plays the Lions.

Quarterback Nick Mullens single-handedly torpedoed two potential scoring drives with questionable decisions and also failed to convert a crucial fourth-and-inches in overtime.

He finished the game 26-of-33 for 303 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, but his inability to avoid costly mistakes might give head coach Kevin O'Connell pause about starting him next week.

The problem is Minnesota is out of options.

Journeyman Joshua Dobbs offered diminishing returns in each of his past three starts when he went 52-of-87 (59.8%) for 466 yards, two touchdowns and five interceptions.

Rookie Jaren Hall barely got an opportunity before suffering a concussion against the Falcons but might be too raw for O'Connell to trust with the team's playoff hopes on the line.

The Vikings' path to the postseason got much more difficult with the blow they took on Saturday. With tough divisional games and a question at quarterback, they might be unable to recover from it.