Minnesota Vikings Week 16 Stock Report

Thanks to a win over the Chicago Bears last Sunday, the Minnesota Vikings will enter Week 16 with a chance to lock up a playoff spot with a victory against the New York Giants. 

It's certainly possible the Vikings will already have clinched a playoff berth by the time Sunday Night Football kicks off at TCF Bank Stadium. If the Atlanta Falcons lose or the Seattle Seahawks win in the early games, Minnesota will have its ticket punched. 

First things first. 

In the following slides, we'll take a look at the risers and fallers for the Vikings ahead of Week 16's matchup with the Giants. 

Rising: QB Teddy Bridgewater

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

How good has Teddy Bridgewater been over the last two weeks?

Well, only Russell Wilson has a better passer rating than Bridgewater's 136.5 mark, and just four quarterbacks—Wilson, Bridgewater, Cam Newton and Drew Brees—have thrown at least five touchdown passes with zero interceptions. Bridgewater's completion percentage (75.0) and yards-per-attempt average (10.1) both rank second among qualified quarterbacks since the start of Week 14. 

The second-year signal-caller had his best game of 2015 against the Bears, throwing for a career-high four touchdowns and running for another during Minnesota's 38-17 win.

Bridgewater is heating up at exactly the right time for the Vikings. Minnesota could make some real noise in the NFC playoffs if its young quarterback continues to play as well as he has over the last two weeks. 

Falling: Special Teams

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

This might be a nitpick, but that's what happens when a team blows out a division rival this late in the season. 

The Vikings special teams are falling after giving up a 49-yard kickoff return to start the game and allowing the Bears to recover an onside kick to begin the second half. While neither error led to Chicago points, both were potential momentum-shifting plays to start each half. A better team might have made the special teams mistakes hurt in the form of ensuing points. 

Rising: WR Stefon Diggs

Ann Heisenfelt/Associated Press

After three straight games with fewer than 30 yards receiving and no touchdowns, Stefon Diggs came back to life against the Bears, catching three passes for 55 yards and two scores. 

Both touchdowns were special. On the first, Diggs made an incredible, over-the-shoulder catch on a pass dropped in perfectly by Bridgewater. A half later, he turned a short crossing route into a 33-yard touchdown with an impressive run after the catch in which he broke several tackles and lunged into the end zone. 

The Vikings are becoming more and more diverse in the passing game, especially over the last two weeks. But Diggs is still Bridgewater's most talented pass-catcher. He's uniquely capable of creating what every team needs this time of year: big plays. 

Falling: Vikings' Chances of Missing the Postseason

Ann Heisenfelt/Associated Press

Minnesota's win over the Bears almost guarantees the Vikings a playoff spot. In fact, it would take a crazy set of results for Minnesota to now miss the postseason. 

Only one scenario exists, and it requires the Vikings, Seahawks and Falcons to all finish 9-7. In that setup, Minnesota would miss the playoffs due to three-team tiebreaker rules. 

However, all three teams finishing at 9-7 demands an 0-2 finish from both the Vikings and Seahawks plus back-to-back wins from the Falcons. The most unlikely of results in this scenario is Atlanta upsetting the undefeated Carolina Panthers on Sunday, but it also appears increasingly improbable that either the Vikings or Seahawks lose out. 

By the end of Sunday, Minnesota will almost certainly have a playoff berth clinched. 

Rising: Vikings Offense

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Running back Adrian Peterson has rushed the ball 41 times over the last two games, but he's averaged only 66 rushing yards per contest. The Vikings offense likely would have struggled to score points with that kind of production earlier in the season. But that wasn't the case in games against the Arizona Cardinals and Bears. 

Equipped with a quick, efficient passing game, the Vikings have averaged 29 points over the last two weeks. There's finally been a balance and cohesion to the operation, and the result has been a lesser reliance on Peterson to carry the offense to scoring opportunities. Most importantly, Bridgewater has come alive behind an offensive line finally giving him some time to operate. 

The Vikings needed to find this kind of balance before Week 17 and the start of the postseason. Minnesota will be a tough out for everybody if the offense can continue to produce at levels near the last two weeks.