Vikings in Last Place in NFC North in The Checkdown's 2020 Madden Simulation

If this played out in reality, I'd imagine there would be a lot of people disappointed in Minnesota.

The folks at The Checkdown are currently in the midst of simulating the 2020 NFL season using the Madden 20 video game (with updated rosters following the draft). Over halfway through the season, things aren't looking great for the Vikings. They're sitting with a 3-6 record through ten weeks, which has them in last place in the NFC North.

The Packers are leading the division at 6-3, the Lions are 5-4, and the Bears are 4-6.

via @TheCheckdown

The season got off to a rough start for the simulated Vikings with a 34-28 loss to the Packers at home in Week 1. Then they traveled to Indianapolis to face Philip Rivers and the Colts, and got absolutely obliterated by a score of 44-15. Something tells me Mike Zimmer would be a little upset with his defense if it gave up 78 points in the first two weeks.

The Vikings got their first win of the season by beating the Titans in Week 3, but then the defensive woes continued with a 41-20 loss in Houston the following week. Ouch. A tough 27-24 loss to the Seahawks on Sunday Night Football in Week 5 dropped these video game Vikings to 1-4, but they bounced back with a home win over the Falcons to head into the bye week at 2-4.

In Week 8, the Vikings essentially watched their division title hopes go out the drain, losing 27-21 to the Packers in Lambeau for an 0-2 season record against their top rivals. A victory over the Lions the following week gave the Vikings some life, but it was followed by a crushing loss to the Bears in Week 10.

That's where things stand right now, with the Vikings 3-6 heading into the final seven games of the year. They'll have to go at least 6-1 down the stretch to have a shot at the playoffs, which seems unlikely given how poorly they're doing. Four of their six losses have been by six points or fewer, so I'd imagine frustration is mounting at TCO Performance Center.

You can follow along with the rest of this simulated season by following @thecheckdown on Twitter or Instagram.

Meanwhile, let's just hope this isn't a sign of things to come (hint: it's not, it means nothing and is just for fun).

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