The Minnesota Vikings can no longer get the No. 1 pick in the 2012 NFL Draft by virtue of their win over the Washington Redskins in Week 16; the Vikes would lose (win?) tiebreakers against the Indianapolis Colts and St. Louis Rams if all three teams finished at 3-13. But all is not lost for Minnesota: the Vikings could still secure the second overall pick in the NFL Draft, and will fall no further than sixth.
Daily Norseman Christopher Gates breaks down Vikings' No. 2 pick scenario:
Obviously, if the Vikings lose on Sunday to the Chicago Bears, they can select no worse than third. If the Rams win and the Vikings lose, then it would appear that the Vikings would leapfrog the Rams based on strength of schedule and wind up with the second spot. However, the Rams are going to be facing a San Francisco 49ers team that is still fighting for the second overall seed in the NFC and a first-round playoff bye, so that's a pretty tall order. With all due respect to our friends at Turf Show Times, I wouldn't anticipate a St. Louis victory on Sunday.
If the Vikings win, though, they could slide to sixth, falling behind the Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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