5. Vikings take division title
With a 34-7 thrashing of the Bengals (which eliminated them from playoff contention), the 11-3 Vikings won their division. The Vikes remain a game behind the Eagles—who barely beat the listless Giants on Sunday—for the top spot in the NFC playoff picture. It was all-around dominance from Minnesota—so much so that recently healthy QB Teddy Bridgewater got some action under center for the first time since the 2015 season. The Vikes’ win clinched their fifth trip to the playoffs in the last 10 years with their fifth different quarterback, which seems odd.
Speaking of bizarre QB stats, try these on for size:
San Francisco’s Jimmy Garoppolo threw for 381 yards in his team’s 25-23 victory over the Titans. In doing so, he:
- now has more passing yards in his first three games with the team than any other QB in his first three starts with the Niners;
- became the first 49ers QB with back-to-back 300-yard passing games since 2000;
- small sample size be damned, receiver Marquise Goodwin is averaging 106.33 yards per game with Jimmy G as his QB. His numbers without Jimbo? Not so good.
