Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson is upended during a first-quarter run against the Arizona Cardinals on December 10, 2015, at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Vikings lost the game 20-23. (Minneapolis Star Tribune/TNS)

By Chris Tomasson/Pioneer Press (TNS)


Two weeks ago, the Vikings were one desperation pass from a 1-1/2-game lead over the Green Bay Packers in the NFC North.
Things sure have changed since then.
Green Bay beat Detroit 27-23 on Dec. 2 on a shocking, final-play 61-yard Hail Mary pass from Aaron Rodgers to Richard Rodgers. And not a lot has gotten better for the Vikings.
Minnesota has lost it past two games to fall to 8-5. The Packers followed their dramatic victory with a 28-7 home win Sunday over Dallas to raise their record to 9-4.
“We’ve got three games left, and at the end of the day, we still have a chance to do what we set out to do,” Vikings defensive back Terence Newman said Tuesday. “Nobody’s in a panic mode.”
If they win out against Chicago at home Sunday, the New York Giants at home Dec. 27 and at Green Bay on Jan. 3, the Vikings will win the NFC North division. That’s because a win over the Packers would give them a possible tiebreaker.
One Vikings loss in the next two games, though, and the finale against Green Bay could end up being meaningless in the division race.
“We’ve just got to take care of business,” said cornerback Captain Munnerlyn. “We’ve got to do what we can control, just go out there and win this game (against the Bears). We can’t worry about (any games after that). It starts on Sunday.”
The Vikings are still in great shape to make the playoffs as a wild-card team. However, that would mean opening the postseason on the road rather than at home.
“I haven’t done a poll,” linebacker Chad Greenway said of the team’s mind-set. “I guess I’ve got to do a poll (Wednesday) and see kind of how everybody’s feeling. But everybody’s ready to go.”
Since a 30-13 home loss to Green Bay on Nov. 22, the Vikings have lost three of their past four games. That includes an ugly 38-7 home defeat to Seattle on Dec. 6.
Newman saw one positive in last week’s 23-20 loss at Arizona to the Cardinals, who are tied for the NFL’s second-best record at 11-2.
“I hate to use this, but I think that the way we came out and played last week let us know that, ‘Hey, we’re able to play with good, quality football teams,’ “ Newman said. “But we just didn’t get it done. So moving forward we know we’ve got to play with the same emotions and the same attitude, the same chip on our shoulder, and seal the deal.”