The outlook on the Vikings' gantlet of road games in the second half of their schedule at Kansas City, Dallas, Seattle and the L.A. Chargers — all playoff teams a season ago — has changed recently.
The Chiefs have lost two in a row, both at home. Dallas has lost three in a row, including a stunner at the Jets. Seattle is a legit 5-1, but four of its wins have been by four points or fewer. The Chargers, a 12-4 team last season, are 2-4 and have lost their past three home games.
It's certainly possible all four will be on an upswing by the time the Vikings face them. It's also worth noting that three of the four are night games and that playing on the West Coast tends to be hard.
But it also feels like a split of those four is far from impossible. And if the Vikings could do that, we might be talking about Weeks 16 and 17 (home games against the Packers and Bears) being part of a push for the NFC North title instead of just a wild card.
Read Michael Rand's blog at startribune.com/randball. michael.rand@startribune.com.
