NFL Week 10 panic meter: Where do Vikings rank after QB upgrade?

It's getting late in a hurry for NFL teams fighting for playoff spots. The pretenders are starting to wilt away, just as some playoff contenders are starting to worry about their place in the standings. 

Let's take a look at three of those struggling postseason contenders and rank them on the panic meter.

Minnesota Vikings

Panic meter rating: 4/10

Carson Wentz's abysmal performance against the Buffalo Bills on Monday night (8-of-25, 81 yards, two interceptions) forced the Vikings into action. On Tuesday, Minnesota traded a third-round pick for Kirk Cousins in an attempt to resurrect its offense from the dead. 

Cousins, who ranks sixth in the NFL in success rate (51.1 percent), fifth in passing yards and second in passing touchdowns (20), is a monumental upgrade over Wentz and Kyler Murray. The Vikings, despite their elite defense, wouldn't have sniffed a playoff spot with the quarterback play they were getting. Now, they're Super Bowl contenders with a competent QB under center. 

New England Patriots

Panic meter rating: 6.5/10

The Patriots were on top of the world after beating the Buffalo Bills in Week 4 and winning their next two games to reach 4-2. Fast forward three weeks, and New England is 5-4 and coming off a 45-27 thrashing at the hands of the Green Bay Packers. 

Mike Vrabel's squad sits in the seventh spot in the AFC standings. If they lose to the Detroit Lions in Week 10, the Patriots will have just a 46 percent chance of making the playoffs, per NFL.com.