Minnesota can make the playoffs

One of the consequences of the NFL's 2002 switch to a playoff structure with four division winners and only two wild-card teams per conference was a reduction in the number of times a single division would yield three playoff teams.

From 1978 to 2001 (sans the strike-shortened 1982 season), this happened in 45.6 percent of the conference playoff brackets. By contrast, in the 10 seasons since the structural change, this has occurred only 15 percent of the time.

It was thought that the NFC North might have a chance to rack up one of these rare instances in the 2012 season because it has the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions (playoff teams from 2011), along with the Chicago Bears -- a team that very likely would have made the playoffs last year had it not been for injuries to Jay Cutler and Matt Forte.

As good a shot as those teams give this division at earning the honor of three playoff teams, those odds have actually increased with the surprising development of the Minnesota Vikings. The Purple and Gold's 3-1 record might not have convinced many that this team has strong playoff potential, but a review of the game tape and metrics indicates Leslie Frazier's squad is a bona fide postseason contender.

To read more about why the Minnesota Vikings can make the playoffs, plus to get access to all of Insider's NFL coverage, sign up today.

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KC Joyner

NFL Insider

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• NFL and CFB analyst for ESPN Insider
• Known as "The Football Scientist"
• Uses proprietary metrics from game tape study