I'm almost tired from this season, but they still play, so I still watch.

The division is still in a tight race. As bad as the race is, I guess that can give us some hope.

At the top of the division, tied for first, are the Bears and Lions. They play each other this week, so the winner will be decisively in first place, while the loser will be in strong second.

The Vikings last-second victory over the Packers put them strong in second place, but not so far ahead of the Packers that we can gloat just yet. Both teams play away at teams with better records. Neither team has performed well this season. Oops...I meant to say "well on the road."

Several scenarios exist wherein the Vikings can still manage to climb to the top of the division in short order.

The most Viking-friendly scenario this weekend is that the Bears loose to the Lions, and the Vikings defeat the Panthers. This would tie the Bears and Vikings for second, just one game behind the Lions. The Vikings play the Lions at the Metrodome (home) next week, so a loss by both the Lions (that is, a Vikings victory) and the Bears would put the Vikings solidly in first, albeit with both of those teams just one game back.

This scenario relies on the Vikings overcoming an apparent curse that keeps them from winning when they play away, especially outdoors, which is the case in the Panther game.

More likely, and a potentially crushing to the Vikings' standings would be a victory by both the Bears and Packers, and a loss by the Vikings and Lions. This would again tie the Vikings and Packers for last place, push the Bears strongly out in front, with the Lions alone in second place.

A friendlier alternative would include a Packers loss, too, leaving them at the bottom, stringing out a solid 1-through-4 place line-up.