EAGAN, Minn. — It all comes down to this.
The Vikings enter the regular-season finale **with a simple scenario** in front of them, as a win over the Bears gets Minnesota into the playoffs.
The Vikings currently sit at 8-6-1 and are still in contention for either of two Wild Card spots. If Minnesota loses in Week 17, the Vikings can also get in with a Philadelphia loss or tie.
Chicago has already clinched the NFC North, but the 11-4 Bears can still secure a first-round bye with a win Sunday coupled with a Rams loss.
Kickoff for Sunday's game is at 3:25 (CT) as the NFL **flexed** this game to the afternoon timeslot. The Vikings and Bears will play at the same time as Philadelphia and Washington, the Rams and 49ers, and Seattle and Arizona.
Here's a look at Minnesota's Week 17 home game against Chicago:
Passing: Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins was on point again Sunday, as he completed 21 of 28 passes (75 percent) for 253 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions.
He had a season-best passer rating of 137.9 and went **over 4,000 yards** passing for the season.
Cousins has thrown for 4,166 yards with 29 touchdowns and 10 interceptions this season. He has a quarterback rating of 100.9.
Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky completed 25 of 29 passes for 246 yards and a touchdown against the 49ers.
Trubisky, the second overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft, has thrown for 3,060 yards with 24 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 2018.
Rushing: The Vikings had exactly 100 yards rushing Sunday against Detroit.
Dalvin Cook led the way with 73 yards on 16 carries while Latavius Murray has 22 yards on nine attempts.
Cook leads Minnesota with 576 yards and also has two scores. Murray has 560 yards and a team-high six scores on the ground.
Minnesota ranks 30th in the NFL at 95.3 yards per game (1,430 total rushing yards) and is one of six teams without double-digit rushing touchdowns this season.
Chicago ranks 14th in the league with an average of 117.9 rushing yards per game.
The Bears had 90 yards on 28 carries on Sunday, with Jordan Howard gaining 53 yards and scoring a touchdown on 13 carries.
Howard leads Chicago with 826 yards and seven touchdowns, while Tarik Cohen has 420 rushing yards and a pair of scores. Trubisky has 405 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
Receiving: Kyle Rudolph had his best game of the season Sunday as the tight end had nine catches for 122 yards and two scores.
The highlight came on a 44-yard touchdown reception on the **final play of the first half**.
Adam Thielen had five catches for 80 yards, Cook had three catches for 35 yards and Stefon Diggs had an 8-yard touchdown catch.
Thielen ranks fourth in the NFL with 110 catches and is eighth with 1,355 yards. His nine receiving touchdowns are tied for seventh in the league.
Diggs has 94 receptions for 974 yards and eight scores. Rudolph has 60 catches for 612 yards and four touchdowns.
Bears wide receiver Allen Robinson, an offseason free-agent acquisition, had six catches for 85 yards on Sunday, and rookie Anthony Miller had a touchdown catch.
Cohen has a team-high 69 catches for 717 yards and also has five touchdowns. Robinson has a team-high 754 yards on 55 catches with five touchdowns. Miller leads Chicago with seven touchdown receptions.
Chicago has four players with four or more touchdown catches.
Defense: Minnesota **hung tough early** against the Lions, and eventually took control in a strong performance in Week 16.
The Vikings allowed just three field goals against Detroit, and surrendered 223 yards of offense on 12 possessions. Minnesota also limited the Lions to just four third-down conversions on 16 tries.
Everson Griffen, Kentrell Brothers and Eric Wilson each had sacks for the Vikings.
Defensive end Danielle Hunter has set a career-high with 14.5 sacks, while safeties Harrison Smith and Anthony Harris are tied for the team lead with three interceptions.
Minnesota ranks third in yards allowed per game (308.2) and is seventh in points allowed per game (21.1).
Chicago's defense ranks fourth in yards allowed per game (308.7) and is third in points allowed per game (18.2).
Cornerback Kyle Fuller leads the Bears with seven interceptions, and pass rusher Khalil Mack has a team-high 12.5 sacks.
The Bears lead the league with six defensive touchdowns.
Special Teams: Vikings kicker Dan Bailey made both field goals and all three extra point tries Sunday, while punter Matt Wile averaged 48.0 yards per punt.
Bailey is 20 of 27 on field goals this season. Marcus Sherels averages 12.0 yards per punt return but left Sunday's game with a foot injury.
Bears kicker Cody Parkey is 22 of 29 on field goals this season. Punter Pat O'Donnell has averaged 45.1 yards per punt.
Chicago has allowed a kickoff return for a score in 2018, while the Vikings have given up a blocked punt for a touchdown this season.
Over The Years
The Vikings are 60-53-2 all-time against the Bears, which includes a loss by Minnesota in the franchises' only postseason meeting.
Minnesota has had the upper hand of late, winning six of the past eight total matchups. The Vikings have been strong at home, winning six straight against Chicago, including the only two meetings at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Each team has a six-game winning streak in the history of the series, something Chicago has done twice and the Vikings once.
The lone playoff meeting between the Vikings and Bears was in January of 1995.
Last meeting: Bears 25, Vikings 20, Nov. 18, 2018, in Chicago
The teams met in Week 11 at Soldier Field in a battle for first place on Sunday Night Football.
The Vikings fell behind early and trailed 14-0 at the half but couldn't complete a second-half rally.
Minnesota trailed 14-6 a little more than midway through the fourth quarter before Chicago intercepted Cousins and scored on a pick-six.
Cousins threw two touchdown passes in the final five minutes, but it wasn't enough as Minnesota fell to 5-4-1 on the season.
Minnesota has just 22 yards on 14 carries, but Diggs had 13 catches for 126 yards and a score.
Harris had two interceptions for the Vikings, and Wilson had a sack.
