Minneapolis ? Vikings history includes a long list of devastating defeats, and this year’s team has the holiday weekend to sit around and mope about the latest demoralizing loss.

By letting Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers score 10 points in the final four minutes, the Vikings allowed their division rival to capture the NFC North title on their home field, 34-31, Friday.

“When you’ve worked as hard as we’ve worked,” Minnesota coach Mike Tice said, “it rips out part of your insides that don’t grow back.”

Now that the division title — one of their two stated goals this season, with a Super Bowl win being the other — is out of reach, Minnesota quickly must refocus on a wild-card race that’s completely wide open in a weak conference.

“I don’t have to sell anything,” Tice said. “They know that if they win the last game, they’re in the playoffs.”

The Vikings (8-7) aren’t even required to do that — beat Washington on the road next Sunday. All they need is one more loss by either Carolina or St. Louis in the final two weekends to clinch. Even if the Panthers and Rams win out, there are other, more complicated scenarios that could get Minnesota in.

“We just need to figure out how to make that one more play in the fourth quarter,” defensive end Lance Johnstone said.

That might be the Vikings’ epitaph — or Tice’s, if he’s fired after the season. This was the third time this season — twice against the Packers — they let an opposing team drive for a winning field goal in the closing minutes. Last week, Detroit registered an eerily similar drive at the end of the game — losing only when a bad snap wiped out the tying extra point.

“It’s tough to sit here and really talk about it,” said Michael Bennett, who had 159 total yards and a touchdown in his best game of the season. “You’re really dealing with a lot of emotions.”

A Vikings fan covers his face with his helmet after Green Bay kicked a 21-yard field goal with three second left to beat the Vikings, 34-31. After Minnesota's loss Friday in Minneapolis, the Vikings will need to win the wild card to qualify for the playoffs.

Turning to tennis, Tice introduced “breaking serve” as the buzz phrase this week. That was a reference to the need for his struggling defense to come up with a stop, via turnover or punt, after the offense scores.

It didn’t happen.

“For us to get into the playoffs — and go deep in the playoffs — we are going to have to do a better job,” said cornerback Antoine Winfield, who returned from a two-game absence caused by a sprained ankle. “We have to improve.”

The maddening thing for Minnesota is that it stopped the run — often the key to beating Green Bay these days. Ahman Green rushed 19 times for just 64 yards, and Najeh Davenport added 11 carries for 40 yards. And linebacker Chris Claiborne came up with a huge interception that he returned 15 yards for a fourth-quarter touchdown to give the Vikings a 31-24 lead with a little more than eight minutes left.

But Packers receivers Donald Driver and Javon Walker gave them fits over the middle, totaling 252 yards on 16 catches.

“They made the plays, and we didn’t make the plays,” strong safety Corey Chavous said. “And that’s the bottom line.”

The Minnesota offense put up 416 yards and didn’t turn the ball over, so it’s hard to hold that unit culpable. But consecutive penalties on the final fourth-quarter drive — ending with a punt — were costly.

“It’s not a talent issue or an effort issue,” said center Matt Birk, who also came back from an injury — a hernia that required surgery and kept him out four games. “It’s an execution issue.”