Vikings Finish 6-10, Miss Playoffs in The Checkdown's 2020 Madden Simulation

The Vikings better hope their 2020 season goes better than it did in The Checkdown's Madden simulation of the season.

Last week, I wrote about how the Vikings were 3-6 and in last place in the NFC North in the simulation. Well, things didn't miraculously get better down the stretch. The Vikings finished with a 6-10 record, tied for last in the division, and obviously missed the playoffs.

Here's what the final standings look like:

Not only did the Packers win the division, but they finished with the second-best record in the conference behind Tom Brady's Buccaneers.

A porous defense and an inability to win close games were the main reasons for the Vikings' slow start in the simulation. They gave up over 40 points to the Colts and Texans in early blowout losses, but the other four losses in their 3-6 start were by one possession.

Mike Zimmer's virtual team fell to 3-7 with a 31-17 loss to the Cowboys in Week 11, then dropped a close game to Teddy Bridgewater's Panthers in Week 12. They managed wins over the Jaguars, Bears, and Lions down the stretch, but weren't competitive in losses to the Bucs and Saints.

In the end, it's a disappointing record of 6-10, tied with the Bears and Lions. The one positive for the season was Dalvin Cook finishing third in the NFL with 1,238 rushing yards.

This would be a pretty disastrous outcome for the Vikings' 2020 season, but it's important to remember that this is just a video game simulation and means nothing.

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