Playoffs-bound Vikings host Bears for 4th Week 17 in a row
CHICAGO (7-8) at MINNESOTA (10-5)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, Fox
OPENING LINE — Vikings by 7
RECORD VS. SPREAD — Bears 4-11; Vikings 8-7
SERIES RECORD — Vikings lead 60-55-2
LAST MEETING — Bears beat Vikings 16-6, Sept. 29
LAST WEEK — Chiefs beat Bears 26-3; Packers beat Vikings 23-10
AP PRO32 RANKING — Bears No. 17; Vikings No. 9
BEARS OFFENSE – OVERALL (29), RUSH (29), PASS (26)
BEARS DEFENSE – OVERALL (8), RUSH (6), PASS (12)
VIKINGS OFFENSE — OVERALL (13), RUSH (7), PASS (20)
VIKINGS DEFENSE — OVERALL (14), RUSH (14), PASS (16)
STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES — Bears play at Vikings in Week 17 for fourth straight season, marking each finale since U.S. Bank Stadium opened in 2016. … Bears have worst record against spread in league. They will miss playoffs for eighth time in nine years, after winning NFC North at 12-4 in 2018 in coach Matt Nagy’s first season. With loss, they will finish with losing record for fifth time in six years. … Nagy (19-12) needs one win to pass George Halas for most wins by Bears coach in first two seasons. … Loss to Chiefs was largest for Bears under Nagy. … With career-high 89 catches for 1,076 yards, Allen Robinson is first 1,000-yard receiver for Bears since Alshon Jeffery in 2014. … Bears LB Khalil Mack needs 1 1/2 sacks to reach double digits for fifth straight year. He is one shy of career high with five forced fumbles this season, ranking second in NFL with 19 since start of 2015. … Eddy Piñeiro is 7 for 7 on field goals over past five games for Bears, including 46-yarder against Chiefs. He missed 4 of 7 over previous four games. Piñeiro is 19 for 24 this season, for 79.2% conversion rate that ranks 21st in league. … Vikings have clinched spot in playoffs for third time in six years under coach Mike Zimmer, locked in as sixth seed. With win, they would reach 11 victories for just fourth time in 19 seasons. … Vikings are 1-5-1 against top rivals Bears and Packers with QB Kirk Cousins, with average of 16.4 points per game. … Cousins, at 3,603 passing yards entering meaningless game, will likely see streak of four straight seasons at 4,000-plus yards end. His passer rating (107.4) and interception rate (1.4) are best of career. … Vikings WR Stefon Diggs has career-high 1,130 receiving yards, ranking fourth in NFL with average of 17.9 yards per reception. … Vikings defense has forced 10 turnovers over last two games to rank fourth in league with 30. Team’s plus-13 turnover margin is second best in NFL, behind Patriots. … Fantasy tip: For those few leagues still active, Bears defense has allowed only 36 points in last three games against Vikings, with five turnovers, 12 sacks and one touchdown.
