5 Super Bowl pretenders after Week 12 of 2021 NFL season

The Vikings will be without running back Dalvin Cook for a good portion of the stretch run (Photo: Getty)

Minnesota Vikings

Sunday's loss to the San Francisco 49ers was painful in more ways than one for Minnesota (5-6): not only did they drop a crucial 34-26 contest against a wild card foe and kill whatever remote chance they had for the NFC North crown, but they also lost one of the NFL's premier playmakers in Dalvin Cook. The rusher is expected to return before the year lets out, but the team will be without one of its most potent weapons for at least the next two weeks.

This loss makes these next three games de facto must-wins. The slate is manageable (at Detroit, Pittsburgh and Chicago) but nothing has come easy for the inconsistent Vikings this year.

A crucial drop from Jalen Reagor (Photo: Getty)

Philadelphia Eagles

Entering Sunday's game, the Eagles were slowly trending toward earning the NFL's "Team You Don't Want to See in the Postseason" trope. They had won three of their last four, the Cowboys were in somewhat of a free fall, and they were facing a Giants team that had just fired its offensive coordinator. Philadelphia had also owned the long-standing NFC East rivalry, having won eight of their last nine against Big Blue and last being swept by the Giants in 2007.

But a third "Miracle at the Meadowlands" wasn't to be, as Jalen Reagor's goal-line drop with 15 seconds to go sealed the Eagles' fate in a 13-7 defeat. The Eagles (5-7) will have a shot at redemption in the Garden State this week, as they'll head right back to battle the New York Jets (1 PM ET, CBS).