All of sudden, the Vikings are heading into a game with pretty big playoff implications.

Minnesota, once at 1-5, finds itself at 6-6 and currently in the No. 7 seed of the playoffs. The Buccaneers would have the No. 6 seed in the postseason if the playoffs started today.

The Vikings have won in ugly fashion against inferior opponents recently. Now, it’s time to go on the road and play against a Tampa Bay team that is 7-5. The Buccaneers are favorites to win this game for a reason — the team has a very good defense and Tom Brady is of course still capable of lighting up an opposing defense.

Here are the Vikings Wire staff predictions for the game:

Jack White — Vikings Wire

Photo: Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports

Tampa Bay will be a problem for Minnesota on both sides of the ball. This is a Buccaneers team that is capable of winning close games. Tom Brady finds Mike Evans and Chris Godwin for big plays against the Vikings’ young secondary. The Tampa Bay defense holds the Minnesota offense in check. Buccaneers 35, Vikings 21.

Jack Day — Vikings Wire

Photo: Brad Rempel/USA TODAY Sports

I’m going to start out by saying I do not feel great about this game. However, I’m not listening to the logic running through my mind and I think the Vikings have a legitimate chance of coming out on top in Tampa Bay. It’s not going to be easy, and it’s unlikely that Dalvin Cook will find much success in the run game. The game is going to come down to the performance of Kirk Cousins and he’s been the hot hand as of late. The passing game will be the deciding factor in this game if the defense is able to keep it close enough for Cousins to sling it. I like Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen against this secondary and the hopeful return of Irv Smith Jr. should help as well. Vikings 26 Buccaneers 24

Luke Easterling — Bucs Wire

Photo: Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports

The Bucs are coming out of a much-needed bye week, getting healthier and giving them more time to prepare for this game. The Vikings are hot in the win column right now, but they also struggled at home against the one-win Jacksonville Jaguars last week. This game is huge in the NFC wild card race, but the Bucs are coming off close losses to both the Rams and Chiefs, and will be primed to get things going in the right direction after the bye week. The Vikings won’t have the benefit of playing at home against one of the league’s worst teams like they did last week. Minnesota has the talent and the coaching to make this a close one, but the Bucs will pull it out. Bucs 24, Vikings 17.