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Minnesota's 34-26 loss at San Francisco dropped its playoff chances from 78% to 40%, according to ESPN's FPI. My confidence rating in Week 12 is a point higher than it was in Week 6 because the Vikings have surpassed the hardest stretch of their schedule and are in good position for the No. 7 seed -- with games left against the Lions, a downward-sliding Steelers team and two meetings with the Bears. But even with a manageable stretch to close out the schedule, nothing feels completely stable with a team whose narrative flip flops from playoff contender to a group in need of a complete overhaul with every win and loss, respectively. -- Courtney Cronin

The Vikings have shown they can beat anyone in the NFL when they're on top of their game ... but consistency continues to elude Mike Zimmer's team. The Vikes jumped out to another seven-point lead on Sunday -- they've done that in every game this season -- but still found themselves on the wrong side of a one-score loss to the Niners, who now possess a potentially critical head-to-head tiebreaker in the race for a wild-card bid in the NFC. The injury news is bad, as well: Dalvin Cook was carted off with a shoulder injury and diagnosed Monday with a dislocation and torn labrum. Alexander Mattison is a quality backup, but an extended absence on Cook's part will have a trickle-down effect on the entire operation.

When Kirk Cousins needed to make plays against the 49ers, he couldn't make them. Now they can't afford anymore losses.

How long can they continue treading water without Pro Bowl RB Dalvin Cook? At least one week given Vikes' next stop is Detroit.

Problem area: Offense without Dalvin Cook. The best-case scenario for the Vikings is that the shoulder injury Cook suffered Sunday won't keep him out long, because Minnesota really needs the running back. Without Cook, the Vikings will need to lean more heavily on Kirk Cousins and focus even more attention on receivers Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen. Perhaps Cousins is up for it: There are criticisms, but he's had strong stretches this season, with just three interceptions on more than 400 passing attempts.