Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell wonders whether star receiver Justin Jefferson is being targeted by opposing teams.

"I think it's about the fifth or sixth week in a row he took a type of hit that drew a flag," he told reporters Monday. "Clearly, there's an emphasis on the teams we're playing that some of those hits, they don't just seem to be by accident at times."

In the fourth quarter of the Vikings' 39-36 overtime win over the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday, referees flagged Colts safety Rodney Thomas II for unnecessary roughness for a hit on Jefferson. On the Vikings' next drive, Colts cornerback Stephon Gilmore was flagged for unnecessary roughness against Jefferson as well.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero noted the Minnesota staff took exception to the latter sequence:

The two-time Pro Bowler leads the NFL in receptions (111) and receiving yards (1,623), and he has eclipsed 150 yards on four occasions. Calvin Johnson's single-season record (1,964 yards) is within reach over the final three weeks.

Because of his consistency, Jefferson will always be a focal point of a team's defensive game plan. O'Connell seems to believe the Vikings' opponents are crossing a line when it comes to covering the dynamic wideout.

It only took the Minnesota Vikings 14 games to clinch the NFC North and earn a playoff spot.

The Vikings (11-3) officially won the division Saturday with a miraculous 39-36 comeback victory over Indianapolis Colts.

Down 33-0 at halftime, the Vikings charged back to score 14 points in the third quarter and 22 points in the fourth quarter to force overtime, where Greg Joseph hit a 40-yard field goal to cap things.

Quarterback Kirk Cousins completed 34 of 54 passes for 460 yards and four touchdowns against two interceptions in the win. C.J. Ham, K.J. Osborn, Justin Jefferson, Dalvin Cook and Adam Thielen all recorded touchdowns.

The win is the largest comeback in NFL history, and it led to NFL Twitter being stunned by one of the greatest games of the year:

The only question is which playoff seed they'll secure.

The top overall seed in the NFC is still up for grabs, with the Vikings looking to keep pace with the Philadelphia Eagles (12-1). With the NFL moving to seven playoff teams per conference last year, only the top seed gets a first-round bye alongside home-field advantage.

So, while Minnesota will be pleased with its division crown, there's more work to be done to earn the crucial top spot in the NFC.

The Vikings will be happy with how far they've come this season, though, after finishing 8-9 last year and missing the playoffs for the second straight campaign. That ended the Mike Zimmer era, who led the team to the postseason three times in his eight-year tenure as head coach.

In came Kevin O'Connell, and the result has been a team that has emerged as one of the NFL's top contenders.

Of course, having an explosive playmaker at wideout in Jefferson doesn't hurt, nor does complementary pieces Cook, Thielen and T.J. Hockenson, who was acquired in a midseason trade with the Detroit Lions to bolster tight end.

And while Cousins is hardly among the NFL's elite quarterbacks, he's played well enough to keep the Vikings rolling. Ditto for the defense.

Add it all up, and you have a Vikings team that wrapped up the NFC North in December. Now, the question is whether this group will still be playing come February.

Voting for the 2023 NFL Pro Bowl closes Thursday, and Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson are currently the top two vote-getters.

Tagovailoa has received 182,118 votes and Jefferson has received 177,163 votes, per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (172,400), Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (170,034) and Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (168,503) round out the top five.

Here's a deeper look at the AFC and NFC leading vote-getters:

The format of the 2023 Pro Bowl, which will be held at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, has been changed from a true football contest to a skills competition as well as a non-contact flag football game. Any player voted to the Pro Bowl is required to participate, barring injury.

With Pro Bowl games of the past lacking intensity, mainly because players didn't want to get hurt, a change to the format was very much needed to make the event more exciting.

The current top vote-getter, Tagovailoa, would be appearing in his first Pro Bowl since being selected fifth overall in the 2020 draft out of Alabama. He has had an impressive season despite missing Weeks 5 and 6 with a concussion.

The 24-year-old has completed 65.5 percent of his passes for 3,004 yards and 22 touchdowns against five interceptions. It has been his best season in the league, and the Dolphins are second in the AFC East with an 8-5 record.

Hill has also contributed to Miami's success in his first season with the team. The 28-year-old has caught 100 passes for 1,460 yards and six touchdowns in 13 games. His receiving yards ranks second in the NFL.

Hill was selected to the Pro Bowl in each of his first six NFL seasons that were spent with the Chiefs.

Jefferson has been selected to the Pro Bowl in each of his first two seasons. The 2020 first-round pick is on pace to surpass the 1,616 yards he posted during the 2021 campaign.

The LSU product has caught 99 passes for a league-best 1,500 yards and six touchdowns in 13 games. Jefferson has played a significant role in Minnesota's success this year, and the Vikings are first in the NFC North with a 10-3 record. The Vikings haven't finished first in their division since the 2017 season.

Finally, the Chiefs duo of Mahomes and Kelce has Kansas City once again sitting atop the AFC West with a 10-3 record, and they are arguably the best quarterback-pass catcher duo in the NFL.

Mahomes has earned a Pro Bowl selection in each season since he became Kansas City's full-time starter in 2018. This season, he has completed 65.8 percent of his passes for 4,160 yards and 33 touchdowns against 11 interceptions in 13 games in addition to rushing for 280 yards and two scores.

The 27-year-old's 4,160 passing yards and 33 touchdowns leads the NFL.

Kelce has earned seven straight Pro Bowl selections since 2015. In 13 games this season, he has caught 81 passes for 1,039 yards and 12 touchdowns. He is tied for the league lead in touchdowns with Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams.

With four weeks remaining in the 2022 NFL regular season, five teams can clinch a playoff berth by the end of Week 15.

The San Francisco 49ers can become the first team to claim a division title if they defeat the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night. The Kansas City Chiefs and Minnesota Vikings can win their divisions with a victory or with losses by the Los Angeles Chargers (vs. Tennessee Titans) and Detroit Lions (vs. New York Jets).

The Buffalo Bills will clinch a playoff berth with a win over the Miami Dolphins. The Dallas Cowboys will make the playoffs with a victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars or with losses by the Seahawks and either the Lions or Washington Commanders.

The Philadelphia Eagles, owners of the league's best record at 12-1, were the first team to clinch a playoff berth. They locked up their spot with Sunday's 48-22 victory over the New York Giants.

Odds are strongly tilted toward the Eagles winning the NFC East, but the Cowboys are making them work for it. Dallas' 10-3 record is tied with the Vikings for the second-best mark in the NFC.

The Eagles have a 26-17 victory over the Cowboys earlier this season. The two NFC East rivals will meet for the second time on Christmas Eve in a game that could swing the balance of power in the division to Dallas if the Cowboys beat the Jaguars and Philadelphia stumbles on Sunday against the Chicago Bears.

The Chiefs have the easiest path to clinching a postseason berth this weekend. Their opponent, the Houston Texans, have the NFL's worst record (1-11-1). Houston did play well in a 27-23 loss to the Cowboys in Week 14.

Kansas City is coming off an uninspiring 34-28 victory over the Denver Broncos on Sunday. Patrick Mahomes threw a season-high three interceptions, though he also had 352 passing yards and three touchdowns.

The NFC West race seemed like it was going to be a battle all season. The Seahawks have been a pleasant surprise, while the 49ers have had to navigate losing Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo to injuries.

Instead, the 49ers have rattled off six consecutive wins, and Seattle has lost three of its last four games. A Seahawks victory would move them within one game of the Niners atop the division standings.

Despite losing to the Lions on Sunday, the Vikings have built up such a big cushion in the division that they would have to lose out and Detroit would have to win out for the NFC North to become a race.

The Dolphins-Bills game has lost some of its luster because of Miami's recent struggles on offense. Miami already holds a victory over the Bills, and sweeping the regular-season series would put pressure on Buffalo in its quest to win the AFC East for a third consecutive year.

The Minnesota Vikings have been in second place in the NFC for nearly the entire season, but there are still questions as to whether the team is truly a Super Bowl contender this year.

Those questions only grew louder Sunday after Minnesota's 34-23 loss to the Detroit Lions. The Vikings fell to 10-3 but maintain a firm grip on the NFC North, as the second-place Lions improved to 6-7.

Minnesota wasted a strong performance from quarterback Kirk Cousins, who threw for 425 yards and two touchdowns with no turnovers. Star wide receiver Justin Jefferson recorded 11 catches for 223 yards.

However, the Vikings defense allowed over 400 yards for a franchise-record fifth straight game. That clearly isn't a winning formula, especially when the playoffs begin.

NFL Twitter ripped Minnesota for its disappointing loss Sunday, with many calling out the team as fraudulent contenders:

The Vikings were once the hottest team in the league with a seven-game win streak. However, cracks have started to show over the last few weeks, as Minnesota is 2-2 in its last four games.

As the playoffs approach, the Vikings are surely hoping to find some quick fixes to their recent problems. Minnesota will look for a better effort when it returns to action Saturday against the Indianapolis Colts (4-8-1).

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell was taken aback Friday when told that his team is favored to beat the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.

According to Kyle Meinke of MLive.com, Campbell said: "I really don't even know how to respond to that. I'm shocked by that."

The Lions, who are 5-7 on the season, are listed as two-point home favorites against the 10-2 NFC North rival Vikings by DraftKings Sportsbook.

Detroit has won four of its past five games, and it is coming off a 40-14 home demolition of the Jacksonville Jaguars last week. The Lions were unstoppable on offense with quarterback Jared Goff throwing for 340 yards and two touchdowns, while running backs D'Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams each had a rushing touchdown.

The Vikings have won nine of their past 10 games, including two in a row, however, all but one of their wins this season have been by one score.

That includes last week's 27-22 win over the New York Jets, which required two red-zone stands in the fourth quarter.

In Week 11, the Vikings were perhaps exposed in a 40-3 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, although they have done well to bounce back with two consecutive wins since then.

The Vikings and Lions played once before this season, with Minnesota pulling out a 28-24 home win in Week 3.

Since the Vikings are on the verge of clinching the NFC North and would need an epic collapse to not win the division, their sense of urgency may not be as high as Detroit's.

The Lions are still in the playoff hunt, trailing the Seattle Seahawks by two games for the final wild-card spot in the NFC, and a win over the Vikes would go a long way toward helping their cause.

That is likely playing a role in the surprising point spread, although it is still difficult to believe that a 10-2 team that is largely healthy at the key positions is an underdog against a 5-7 squad.

For all the latest betting information and reaction, check out B/R Betting.

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The NFL announced the eight finalists for the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award on Thursday, and a trio of running backs lead the way.

Aaron Jones of the Green Bay Packers, Nick Chubb of the Cleveland Browns and Dalvin Cook of the Minnesota Vikings were among the players nominated for the award:

The Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award was introduced in 2014 and named after late Pittsburgh Steelers founding owner Art Rooney Sr. Per Packers reporter Wes Hodkiewicz, the award "recognizes players who best demonstrate the qualities of on-field sportsmanship, including fair play, respect for the game and opponents and integrity in competition."

The eight finalists were selected from 32 nominees by a panel of former players made up of Warrick Dunn, Curtis Martin, Leonard Wheeler and Larry Fitzgerald, who chose four finalists from each of the AFC and NFC.

The finalists will be included on the Pro Bowl ballot under the NFL Sportsmanship Award category when NFL players can begin voting later this month. Each team will submit a consensus vote for one of the finalists, and a team cannot vote for its own player.

Fitzgerald was the first honoree to receive the award. Last season's winner was New England Patriots special teamer Matthew Slater.

This year's selection will be announced as part of the NFL Honors show on Feb. 9 prior to Super Bowl LVII. The winner will get to make a $25,000 donation via the NFL Foundation to the charity of his choosing.

There are still five weeks left in the NFL regular season, but three teams have a chance to clinch a playoff berth in their next game.

The Minnesota Vikings can clinch the NFC North with a win or tie against the Detroit Lions. The Kansas City Chiefs can wrap up the AFC West with a win and a Los Angeles Chargers loss to the Miami Dolphins.

The Philadelphia Eagles can clinch a playoff berth with a win or with losses by the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks:

No teams have clinched a postseason berth at this point. The Houston Texans and Chicago Bears are the only teams that have been eliminated from contention.

The Eagles have been the best team in the NFL all season, but they still have heat in the division race with the Dallas Cowboys sitting at 9-3. The NFC East rivals will play at AT&T Stadium on Christmas Eve in a game that could decide the No. 1 seed.

Philadelphia has made the postseason four times in the past five years. It hasn't won a playoff game since Jan. 16, 2019.

Even though they don't do it in dominant fashion, the Vikings keep winning games. Their plus-10 point differential through 12 games is the worst in NFL history by a team that started 10-2.

The Vikings' two losses were against the Eagles and Cowboys by a combined 54 points. They have a stiff test on Sunday against a Lions team that has won four of their last five games and has scored at least 25 points in four straight games.

Minnesota hasn't won the NFC North since 2017 when it advanced to the NFC Championship Game.

The Chiefs will play the Denver Broncos on Sunday. This is the first meeting of the season between these two teams. Kansas City has won 13 consecutive games against the Broncos dating back to 2015.

Coming into this season, there were some doubts about the Chiefs' ability to keep playing at the same level they had been at the previous four years with Tyreek Hill traded to the Miami Dolphins.

The rest of the division looked like it got better with players like Davante Adams (Las Vegas Raiders), Russell Wilson (Denver Broncos), J.C. Jackson and Khalil Mack (Los Angeles Chargers) joining the AFC West.

Instead, the Chiefs have looked the same with the No. 1 scoring offense in the NFL. Patrick Mahomes is arguably the MVP front-runner with a league-leading 3,808 passing yards and 30 touchdowns.

Kansas City owns the NFL's longest streak with six consecutive division titles. It will take a historic collapse over the final five weeks for that streak to end.