Minnesota Vikings Best and Worst: Week 17 vs. Chicago Bears

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The defense of the Minnesota Vikings was missing just as many starters as the offense. This Vikings team was prepared to lose this game in order to ensure the health of their key players, but the fight some of these reserves had against the Bears was quite commendable.

In fact, keeping the Bears out of the end zone all but once in a game that pit Chicago’s starters up against Minnesota’s backups is quite remarkable. It shows the hustle and depth this roster has and why they can’t be slept on heading into the playoffs.

Here are some other good things to come out of Week 17 for the Minnesota Vikings:

• Getting a pass rush. No Danielle Hunter? No Everson Griffen? No problem. Eric Wilson, Ifeadi Odenigbo, Kentrell Brothers, Stephen Weatherly, and Armon Watts were all credited with having a hand in bringing down Mitchell Trubisky in this game.
• Solid tackling. With a few exceptions, the Vikings defense played very well when it came to limiting yardage. The challenge to combat a starting offense is huge, but Minnesota kept the Bears to only 4.5 yards per play. That’s some solid fundamentals and coaching right there!
• Keeping the game close. It was nice to see the Vikings battle back despite trailing deep into the final quarter of play. Plus, seeing the starters on the sideline rooting for their backups on the sideline was very positive. It helped to make a somewhat meaningless game at least a little more interesting to those watching at home.