NFC North matchups affect Arizona Cardinals

With the Arizona Cardinals teetering on being in or out of the playoffs in each and every week, the eyes of the team and it’s fans go to Chicago and Minnesota.

We don’t have to go into detail about how important this is for the Arizona Cardinals to win this game against the Rams. However, since they are the 7th seed, each game needs to be treated with a sense of urgency in order to save what some would call a wasted season. The Bears and Vikings both have home matchups this week that could affect Arizona, should they lose to the LA Rams. Using the playoffs machine from ESPN, we take a look at what could happen.

Bears Vs. Lions

If the Bears are ever able to stop a skid, it should be against the lions, right? Not always. Chicago is in quarterback purgatory with Trubisky, and the Lions are also injured in many key positions- it just makes this game hard to expect any fireworks. If Chicago wins, they take over the #7 spot due to better overall record. If Detroit wins and Arizona loses, that still keeps the Cardinals in the mix as the lowest seed.

Vikings Vs. Jaguars

The Vikings had a great run (pun intended) with Dalvin Cook and the offense over the last few games. The Jaguars have the second longest losing streak in the league, next to the Jets and are nowhere near the playoff race having been eliminated last week.

However this Jaguars team is the one that made Green Bay SWEAT in their matchup against them. You would expect Minnesota to win, but don’t expect the jags to go quietly. If the Vikings win, the machine places them into the 7th spot. Whereas the opposite keeps Arizona locked into the final spot for one more week.

Arizona controls it’s own destiny in terms of the 7th seed. There could be higher seeds they may achieve, but it’s all about one game at a time for them. It’s time for the Cardinals to have their greatest playoff push in quite some time.