Is it better to play an awful football game and win or a great game and lose? Fortunately for the Vikings, they get to contemplate the first scenario after their shockingly painful 3-0 victory over the sad sack Las Vegas Raiders.

So here’s the positive: the Vikings (7-6) are fighting for a playoff spot and they came into this game with a two-game losing streak against a team that had found new life under an interim coach who is loved by his players. They found an ugly way to win the game in a week where the first-place Detroit Lions (9-4) lost badly to the last-place Chicago Bears.

The Vikings remain in the No. 6 spot in the NFC playoff structure, and they still have a chance at the division title. Even though they are two games behind the Lions, they can still win the division title if they beat the Lions in the two games the teams have remaining against each other – and other factors also break their way.

The Vikings have 4 games remaining to the season, and their defense is playing at a sensational level. The weak point of the team for the previous three seasons has turned into the team’s strength. The turnaround is clearly shocking, and defensive coordinator Brian Flores can’t be given enough credit for the improvement.

“Let me just tell you something,” Kevin O’Connell said to his team in the locker room. “This (expletive) defense is a championship defense.”

So, that’s the good news. The bad news is that their once formidable offense has disappeared. Actually, the offense has reached a point where it is less than zero.

O’Connell was hired because he is something of an offensive guru, an innovator who can get the best out of his team and take his players to a new level. There has been no doubting that reputation since he came to Minnesota, as he put in a wide-open offense that featured great players like Kirk Cousins and Justin Jefferson. The offense clearly carried the team until Flores came along because the defense was abysmal.