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Meeting expectations: Mike Zimmer is a tough one to classify. On one hand, many people (including yours truly) thought the Vikings could win the division this season. That's not happening. But they haven't been a disaster either. They're 5-6 and one game out of a playoff berth. They had a bunch of roster turnover in the offseason and have suffered key injuries but just keep plugging away and have improved throughout the course of the year. Given their offseason approach, the Vikings knew they were engaging in a soft rebuild. Because of all those factors, I think Zimmer has done a fine job this season.

Rallying to beat the Panthers might have saved their season. Their playoff hopes are still alive as Kirk Cousins continues to play well.

WR Justin Jefferson's remarkable season continues, the rookie now leading the league with 17 catches of at least 20 yards.

Most important game remaining: Week 14 at Tampa Bay

The easy answer would be "all of them" given the Vikings are the No. 8 team in the NFC and one game out of the final wild-card berth. Minnesota got this far after a 1-5 start by beating up on bad teams, with only one of the Vikings' five victories coming against a team with a winning record (Week 8 at the Packers). A win on the road against 7-5 Tampa Bay is critical. In order to be taken seriously as a postseason contender, Minnesota needs to show it can defeat better competition. A win against the Bucs would up the Vikings' playoff odds significantly. -- Courtney Cronin

The Vikings' playoff hopes seemed to all but evaporate when Chad Beebe muffed a punt deep in Minnesota territory with 2:10 to play on Sunday. The Panthers had the ball and the lead after another self-inflicted wound for Minnesota in a day full of them. But the defense kept the damage to a field goal, setting the stage for one of Kirk Cousins' greatest moments in purple. With no timeouts and playing without his favorite target in Adam Thielen, Cousins marched the Vikings 75 yards on seven plays, culminating with a 10-yard touchdown strike to -- you guessed it -- Chad Beebe. One missed Joey Slye field goal later, the Vikings had escaped with a 28-27 win. It wasn't long ago that Cousins was on a Winston-esque 30/30 pace. Over the last month, he's been one of the most productive quarterbacks in football.