Date & Time Set for Vikings at Bears
Dustin Baker
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Leaving the Week 18 docket of games mysterious is a recent trend for the NFL. It’s a technique to maximize eyes on specific contests and align games according to “if this, then that” scenarios.
Well, the Minnesota Vikings have a little bit to play for at the Chicago Bears this weekend after fumbling the No. 2 seed in Green Bay on Sunday. Minnesota inhabits the No. 3 seed and must win, while the San Francisco 49ers [somehow] lose to the lowly Arizona Cardinals if the purple team is to regain the two-seed. This is otherwise known as “unlikely.”
Date & Time Set for Vikings at Bears
The NFL decided the Bears-Vikings matchup is best for Sunday, not Saturday, and the game will occur in Chicago at noon CST on January 8th. The Vikings final game is before the 49ers-Cardinals showdown, so the 49ers will know how hard it must play in the 3:25 pm CST window.
The main storyline about Bears-Vikings exiting Sunday evening involved personnel. Because the 49ers are unlikely to lose versus the Cardinals, Minnesota might be wise to rest starters and avoid injuries like the ones that occurred to right tackle Brian O’Neill and center Austin Schlottmann at Lambeau Field. Would head coach Kevin O’Connell rest his starters, ensuring the healthiest roster available in the postseason?
Nope.
Chris Tomasson from the Pioneer Press reported Monday that O’Connell believes “two seed still is in play, so there aren’t expected to be many starters sat.” Unless the first-year skipper has a change of heart in the next five days, it’s all systems go for Vikings starters in a somewhat meaningless game.
Meanwhile, the Bears will play for pride. Chicago was eliminated from postseason contention weeks ago and has a 3-13 record through 17 weeks. Bears fans, while appreciating quarterback Justin Fields’ maturation in the last two months, are eyeing the 2023 draft board. The Bears would pick second in April’s draft if the event occurred tomorrow.
Vegas, too, believes O’Connell is telling the truth about starters on the field. The Vikings are four-point favorites to topple the Bears for a consecutive time at Soldier Field.
Also in the NFC North, the Packers received unbelievably advantageous news as their game with Detroit Lions was flexed to primetime on Sunday night. The Lions need the Seahawks to lose — plus a win over Green Bay — to enter the postseason. But the NFL plopped Seattle in the 3:25 pm CST window, meaning the Lions will know their fate before kickoff. If Seattle wins, Detroit may lack motivation to knock off Green Bay as the Lions would be ixnayed from the playoffs before their game began.
The Vikings haven’t ended the regular season with a game at Soldier Field in 51 years.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
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