Minnesota Vikings Week 17 Preview: Now or never vs. the Chicago Bears
By Chris Schad
How will the Bears treat this game?
“They are who we thought they were!” But are the Bears going to be who the Vikings think they’re going to see on Sunday? That’s a question that won’t be answered until deep into the game this week.
On the surface, the Chicago has plenty to play for on Sunday. With a win and a loss by the Los Angeles Rams this week, Chicago would slide up into the second seed in the NFC playoff bracket.
In addition, the Bears also have the chance to knock the Vikings out which could give them a more favorable matchup on Wild Card weekend against Philadelphia (assuming they beat Washington on Sunday too).
But Chicago also has to be careful not to empty the clip in an effort to eliminate Minnesota. If Bears head coach Matt Nagy throws the kitchen sink at the Vikings and Minnesota comes away with the win, all of the cards will be on the table for a Wild Card matchup in Chicago and Mike Zimmer and company would have an easier time preparing for a playoff opponent.
Mix in the fact that if the Rams blow out San Francisco, the Bears could wave the white flag and go into full vanilla mode to not give away all their secrets. If the Vikings do their job early, the path to the playoffs could become much easier.