Before they face off on Sunday, the last time the Minnesota Vikings were able to get a win over the Chicago Bears came back during the final game of the 2017 season.
This Sunday, the 10-5 Minnesota Vikings and 7-8 Chicago Bears will face off in a Week 17 divisional matchup.
The Vikings will be looking to rebound after a disappointing loss this at home to the Green Bay Packers last week. Minnesota is already locked in as the No. 6 seed in the NFC for this year’s playoffs and they very well could sit the majority of their starters for the whole game or perhaps a half against the Bears on Sunday.
Overall, the Vikings lead the all-time series against Chicago 60-55-2, but Minnesota has lost the past three meetings between the two teams.
The last time the Vikings were able to come away with a win over the Bears came in Week 17 of the 2017 season.
During the victory, Minnesota quarterback Case Keenum went 21-for-29 for 189 yards and a touchdown. Vikings running back Latavius Murray rushed for 111 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries and Stefon Diggs added six receptions for 65 yards and a touchdown.
For Chicago, rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky went 20-for-36 for 178 yards and receiver Dontrelle Inman hauled five passes for 94 yards.
With the win, Minnesota finished the regular season with a 13-3 record and they were able to advance all the way to the NFC Championship.
After missing the playoffs last season, the Vikings are back in it this year, but they have a very tough task in front of them. In the past, a few teams have advanced all the way to the Super Bowl and even won the big game as the No. 6 seed in their conference. But this is not something that occurs very often.
Even winning a game in the playoffs will be very difficult for Minnesota this year. It could happen, but do not expect this team to go far.
If the Vikings had a first-round bye, their chances of making it to the NFC Championship again would be much higher. Even as the No. 3 seed, it would have been more difficult, but the chances of getting to the Super Bowl would still be much higher for Minnesota than what they are with them entering the playoffs as the No. 6 seed.
This league is full of surprises though, including in the postseason. So let’s just wait and see how the Vikings do moving forward. Maybe this year’s team will be like Minnesota in 1987 and advance much further in the playoffs than expected.