EAGAN, Minn. -- Is it too late for the Minnesota Vikings?

• Could The Vikings Make The Playoffs
• Can Vikings Still Make The Playoffs

Their postseason chances have faded quickly six weeks into the season after an unexpected 1-4 start for a team that kicked off the year as playoff hopefuls. They lost gut-wrenchingly close games to the Tennessee Titans and Seattle Seahawks, each by one point. They are tied for the most one-point losses through any team's first five games in a season in NFL history, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

1. Mathematically, however, there's still a window for the Vikings to capitalize on those postseason dreams, and a turnaround could start Sunday (1 p.m. ET, FOX) against the winless Atlanta Falcons.
2. Yet the Colts still need help. Of the five 10-5 teams, the Colts are the only one for whom a win does not guarantee a postseason berth. How the Minnesota Vikings Can Make the 2020 N.F.L.

Yes, mathematically they can still make the playoffs. However, the path to get there is complex. Here is one scenario for the Vikings to go the playoffs: 1.Vikings finish 9-7. 2.49ers win tonight, and also beat Rams and Seahawks. 3.49ers lose to Chargers or Packers. 4.Rams lose to the Saints. 5.Seahawks lose to Falcons. Admittedly, whether you’re an eternal optimist or are pessimistic to the extreme at one point this season you’ve already written off the Minnesota Vikings for 2021 playoff contention. How could you not have after an 0-3 start where the team looked lifeless? Or maybe you held out only to jump off board after getting trounced by the then winless Atlanta Falcons at home to fall to 1-5 before. Minnesota Vikings Playoff Chances 2019. Lost to Chicago 19-21, average seed unchanged at 6. Add your own league! How are these numbers calculated?

The start would lead some to feel the door has shut on Minnesota's chances in 2020 and that the focus should already be gearing toward 2021. Mathematically, however, there's still a window for the Vikings to capitalize on those postseason dreams, and a turnaround could start Sunday (1 p.m. ET, FOX) against the winless Atlanta Falcons.

Of the 360 teams that have made the playoffs since the NFL went to a 12-team format in 1990, only 2.7% of those teams started off 1-4. With an expanded postseason format this year to include an additional team from the NFC and AFC, Minnesota isn't out of the running yet.

Here's a look at what needs to happen for the Vikings to keep their postseason dreams alive.

How did they get here?

The broadcast crew during Minnesota's bout at Seattle touted the team being 'in salary cap hell' as the reason the defense looks the way it does with a group of inexperienced, unknown players taking on new roles. That's only half the story.

The Vikings are feeling the loss of nose tackle Michael Pierce, who opted out in July, with a run defense that ranks 24th (132.6 yards per game allowed). Defensive end Danielle Hunter hasn't practiced since Aug. 14, and the Vikings have no more clarity on the status of his neck injury, per Mike Zimmer, after he got a second opinion two weeks ago.

Injuries hit the linebacking corps hard and have forced Minnesota to field a different lineup of starting corners in every game. The Vikings are tied for second in allowing the most explosive plays (gains of 30 or more yards) with 10. Minnesota is also minus-5 in turnover differential.

The offense has shown considerable improvement since Week 3 but couldn't come through and close out games against the Titans and Seahawks. The silver lining this team likes to hang its hat on: Two of their losses have come against the undefeated Green Bay Packers and Titans.

What needs to change?

Pass protection is one of the biggest areas that needs to improve.

Minnesota ranks 21^st in pass-block win rate. Offensive line play has had a direct correlation on the offense's ability to keep drives alive, like when quarterback Kirk Cousins was pressured on each of his three dropbacks on the Vikings' final drive with a chance to get the team in position to kick a field goal to beat Tennessee. Cousins was also strip-sacked because of porous protection when the Seahawks were scoring 21 points in less than two minutes.

It's possible we start to see things shift on the offensive line. Right guard Dru Samia has a wrist injury and is out for Sunday. Given how poorly he's played and how well rookie Ezra Cleveland is coming along, a switch on the offensive line to aid the Vikings' weakest link -- their guard play -- could help the offense remedy some of its issues in pass protection.

'It's probably just about an opportunity, to be honest with you,' offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak said of Cleveland. 'A lot of times guys are out there working and practicing well, and you see them growing as players, and then you never know which given Sunday all of a sudden it's going to be his turn. Whether it's somebody getting nicked up or us giving him the opportunity to go in there and play. I think his time is coming. I think you're going to see him get an opportunity here at some point, and he's really working hard to prepare for that opportunity.'

The question then becomes where does Cleveland start? At left guard, where he spent training camp with the second team offense? If so, that would mean Dakota Dozier moves over to right guard.

Could The Vikings Make The Playoffs

How can Cousins contribute?

Cousins threw six interceptions in 2019. He has seven through five games. Cousins can certainly improve in ball security, but better play from the offensive line goes hand in hand.

The Vikings' priority on offense centers on closing out games and not relying on their young defense to pull off a victory. They weren't able to do it in Seattle when Zimmer went for the win and running back Alexander Mattison couldn't convert a fourth-and-inches run that would have sealed the game. Cousins couldn't put together a game-winning drive against Tennessee and only has one in his career as a Viking out of 18 opportunities since 2018.

Is the defense improving?

Yes. The cornerbacks held their own for most of the Seattle game aside from a dreadful final drive when Russell Wilson converted twice on fourth down. Wilson may orchestrate the most high-octane attack the Vikings will see this season, but there are plenty of other good QBs in the final 10 games of 2020.

There are coverage lessons the Vikings can take away from where they started the season. Giving teams less single-high looks and more Cover-2 helps mitigate the weaknesses of the cornerbacks, limit the explosive plays and puts more on their safeties to help defend a deep passing game. That's what Minnesota did against the Houston Texans and Seahawks, playing Cover 2 on 24.7% of snaps, which was the fifth- highest rate in that span, as opposed to the 15.3% of snaps in Weeks 1-3.

The Vikings also need to generate more pressure on QBs. Minnesota is averaging 2.2 sacks per game and isn't getting the push it needs from its interior defensive linemen. A good place to spark that turnaround is against a pocket passer like the Falcons' Matt Ryan, who has been sacked 11 times in five games.

The remaining schedule

After Atlanta in Week 6, Minnesota's home slate consists of Detroit, Dallas, Carolina, Jacksonville and Chicago at home. That's a winnable stretch against teams in similar positions to the Vikings with uncertainty at the QB position.

If the Vikings can go into their bye at 2-4, and rattle off five more wins between the remaining home games, break even with their NFC North opponents and potentially steal a game at Tampa Bay or New Orleans, a 7-9 finish and trip to the postseason is within reach.

But getting a victory against Atlanta on Sunday is essentially their last chance to keep their postseason hopes alive before the focus turns to 2021.

The Minnesota Vikings defeated the Chicago Bears in a rather ugly affair on Monday Night Football, coming away with a 19-13 victory. The win marks the third in a row for Minnesota, bringing them to 4-5. It's hard to believe they've ended up here after a 1-5 start that suggested the Kirk Cousins extension was a massive error and the notable Mike Zimmer defense is finally collapsing.

We were all a bit too early to circle the wagons on Minnesota, it would seem. Dalvin Cook has found his stride and become the engine that drives the entire offense, averaging 155 yards on the ground per game over the Vikings' last three weeks. Cousins has reverted back to the slightly-above average QB the Vikings believed him to be when they offered him the aforementioned extension. He's thrown six touchdowns and only one pick over the course of the winning streak after starting the year throwing six picks in three games. To tie it all together, the defense has awoken, keeping each of their last three opponents to 22 points or fewer. That is admittedly not impressive when it's the Bears or the Lions, but they did so to Aaron Rodgers and the Packers in Week 8, which is worth noting.

Minnesota has found a winning formula. Rely on Cook and the play-action pass to produce on offense while counting on the defense to keep the score close and capitalize on any mistakes made by the opponent. As long as Cook stays healthy (a rather big if, considering his lengthy injury history), there's little reason to believe they can't keep this level of play up. Could they somehow, some way, keep it up to the point where they're a playoff team?

It will be rather tough. They split their two games with Green Bay this season, but the Packers are 7-2 and unlikely to lose three of their last seven games when only two of those are coming against teams with a winning record. That means the Vikings will be competing for a wild card spot with the division title likely out of reach.

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Those three NFC wild card spots will be hotly contested, though. The Saints just lost Drew Brees for a few weeks, but he will presumably return this season. Therefore, we can count on one of the Saints or Bucs to claim one wild card spot. The NFC West is the best division in football with three teams currently sitting at 6-3. Someone has to win that division, so the Vikings will be battling with the other two NFC West teams for the final two wild card spots. Unfortunately for Minnesota, they lost to Seattle already this year, so they'll lose a tiebreaker if the Seahawks' downward slide continues and they miss out on the NFC West title.

Assuming the Vikings win out and go 11-5, they need at least one of the Seahawks, Cardinals, and Rams to lose two of their last seven games. Alternatively, the Vikings will be in the hunt if the Saints lose three games down the stretch or the Bucs lose two. They would then need to win the tiebreaker in any of these scenarios.

It remains a possibility that one of the above-mentioned teams loses the majority of their games over the remainder of the season and the Vikings can get into the wild card round with no tiebreaker needed. Anything can happen. But the most likely path remains going undefeated for the rest of the year and crossing their fingers that the final spot will come down to a tiebreaker between themselves and another 11-5 team.

Can Vikings Still Make The Playoffs

As it stands right now, the Vikings' playoff hopes are out of their control. They need to take care of their business and win out, which isn't a gargantuan task. They have two tough games remaining on the schedule against the Bucs and Saints, which could be huge in tiebreaker scenarios. Otherwise, Minnesota plays Dallas, Jacksonville, Carolina, Chicago, and Detroit, which are all very winnable games. If they can do that, all they need is a few stumbles from an NFC West or South team. Improbable? Perhaps. Impossible? Not at all. The Vikings, despite a horrid start, are still very much in the playoff race.