Do you have a comment or question? Send it to the Vikings.com Mailbag! Every Monday we'll post several comments and/or questions as part of the Vikings.com Monday Morning Mailbag. Although we can't post every comment or question, we will reply to every question submitted.

Click here to submit a comment or question to the Mailbag. Remember to include your name and town in the email. If Twitter is your jam, you can send a question to me that way as well.

Welcome to a special Wednesday edition of the Mailbag.

First, I appreciate the patience of everyone waiting an extra day (than I initially envisioned) after the Vikings defeated the Bears 30-12 on Monday Night Football. My eyes were a bit too big at the content buffet line to factor in my Tuesday would be a combo of a regular Monday and Tuesday, to go along with some upcoming deadlines for the Playbook Packers game program. We did have some fun items that posted yesterday, including the updated Playoff Picture and Week 16 Power Rankings.

There were a couple of plodding hiccups (uncommon pre-snap penalties) during Monday's contest, but there also were some encouraging moments, to go along with a heartfelt tribute to Randy Moss, as Minnesota secured a sweep in the divisional series with Chicago.

The best part from the Vikings perspective is the team was watching Sunday Night Football as its playoff berth was guaranteed (by Green Bay's win at Seattle) and never trailed Monday after getting an early fourth-down stop and field goal to open the game.

Sam Darnold said after the game that Vikings players watching the Packers-Seahawks game from the team hotel talked about clinching a trip to the postseason for "literally" five minutes.

"It's great, first and foremost, to be able to recognize it during the night, and to be able to be with some of my teammates when that happened, that's special in that moment," Darnold said. "But to be able to wake up today and know that we have a job to do, you know, that's the best part about our team. We can enjoy moments like that and be mature enough to be able to come into work today and get the job done."

Head Coach Kevin O'Connell, who has led the team to two postseason berths in his three seasons at the helm, said he acknowledged the status with a quick word of congratulations.

"Once I was done with that opening sentence, we moved on to what it was going to take to beat the Bears," O'Connell said. "I think what's made this team really special from day one is just that they handle their business with what's right in front of them, and whether we clinched or not, this team's just worried about the next game. We're gonna continue to do that."

Up next is a trip to Seattle (8-6) on short rest. The Seahawks have plenty to play for, including a shot at winning the NFC West down the stretch. Let's get to the questions.

So good to take down the Bears for the season sweep. The defense played well overall but gave up a lot of yards, it seemed. I don't think the offense performed as sharp as a playoff team should. Too many penalties on offense — multiple holding penalties and false starts? Especially weak coming out of halftime. Below are my 3 Ups and 3 Downs for the game:

UPS:

1. First series of the game Vikings defensive stop and turnover on downs. Followed by a strip sack on the Bears second possession. Followed by a Vikings TD pass to Jefferson. Very nicely done.

2. The best team performance heading into halftime this season. Defense gets a fourth-down stop a little before the 2-minute warning. Then the Vikings take over with all three timeouts. They drive the ball into the red zone and have a shot into the end zone, but take the FG with almost no time left. We kept Caleb Williams off the field and scored; that is a great outcome, compared to our standard end of the first half this year.

3. Beautiful answering TD drive at the end of the third quarter after the Bears FG. Followed by another answering TD drive after the Bears second FG. Well done.

DOWNS:

1. Going for it on fourth-and-3 early in the early second quarter approaching the red zone. Poor way to cede momentum to the Bears. Wished we would have taken the FG on that beautifully sustained drive that started inside our own 10?

2. Weak start to the third quarter by the offense — multiple holding penalties on two of the three first drives in the third quarter. Back-to-back three-and-outs, as well.

3. A sloppy and downright careless blocked punt in the fourth quarter to keep the Bears in the game. So disappointing to play that way instead of finishing them. Not the kind of performance demanded by and expected of a playoff team.

We are 12-2 but I can't help but expect much cleaner play by the Vikings on offense, defense and special teams. Looking forward to the Seahawks.

— Respectfully, Jeff Ludwig

The Bears totaled 284 yards of offense but were just 1-for-12 on third down and 1-for-3 on fourth down. Chicago also went 1-for-3 in the red zone.

Those were all significant Vikings improvements over the first meeting when the Bears totaled 398 yards and went 6-for-17 on third down, 2-for-3 on fourth down and 3-for-3 in the red zone in Chicago.

The sequences at the start of the game with two major defensive stops followed by 10 total points was a great way to start the contest, even if it did have stretches where penalties disrupted the rhythm and flow of the game.

The sequence at the end of the first half also was important, as well as twice responding to Bears field goals with Vikings touchdowns.

The drive that ended with the interception featured conversion of a third-and-17 with an incredible effort by Aaron Jones, Sr., and a 12-yard pass to Brandon Powell on a third-and-10. The plays helped Minnesota keep the ball for more than five minutes of the second quarter before the interception on fourth-and-3. A field goal would have made it 13-0.

The blocked punt was disappointing because of the way the play looked and the fact it led to Chicago's touchdown. It's a correctable moment so that the issue doesn't happen in a closer game.

They won, but they're not ready for the big leagues, YET!

I watched them lose four Super Bowls; first one on an 8-inch black-and-white portable TV, January 1970, while a patient at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland.

— Wally Rowe from Battle Creek, Michigan

Well, first of all, I'd like to say thanks for your service and follow with appreciation for your steadfast support.

As you know from those four Super Bowls, each game can turn out dramatically different than the way a team has trended over the course of its season.

Minnesota is 12-2 or better through 14 games for the sixth time in franchise history (1969, 1970, 1973, 1975 and 1998 are the others). Those seasons were followed by a trip to Super Bowl IV (the one mentioned above), a home playoff loss to San Francisco, a trip to Super Bowl VIII, Drew Pearson's pushoff and the excruciating loss to Atlanta in the NFC Championship.

O'Connell consistently is saying the team is still chasing its best football. The goals are to keep winning and improving.

Celebrate! And then be concerned. The Vikings win by 18 points. Am I the only fan who feels it was closer than that? When the Vikes got to 27 early in the fourth, I felt very confident. A blocked punt later, and I was the one seeing ghosts. Could Chicago duplicate Week 12? Fortunately, the door shut. It's fun watching Sam, Aaron and "Our 3 Sons" (Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson) but it's the defense that is keeping the Vikings in these games when the offense or special teams (AHEM!!) falter. Gotta savor each win and the season as a whole. But if fans think this performance will win any of the next three weeks and beyond. No. Not happening.

Skol!

— Jeff in Sacramento, California

It's understandable to be slightly worried about a lead given Chicago's comeback from 11 points down with less than a minute remaining in regulation in Week 12.

The defense wound up recording just two sacks of Caleb Williams (one was the major fumble forced by Jonathan Greenard and recovered by Blake Cashman; the other was a nice play by first-round pick Dallas Turner on third-and-3 to force a Chicago punt right after Minnesota built a 27-6 lead with 10:14 to go.

The combo of Jefferson (seven catches for 73 yards), Addison (seven catches for 63 yards) and Hockenson (five for 52) accounted for 19 of Minnesota's 24 catches and 188 of the team's 231 receiving yards.

Yes, the Vikings got a win, but I am disappointed with that the offensive discipline. They're going back to their penalties and just mistakes made by multiple players. Defense, however, was very good.

They're not gonna win playoff games with this kind of play.

— Gill from New Mexico

The Vikings were assessed 10 penalties for 56 yards in the game, the second-highest number of infractions this season. This was after combining for nine total in the Arizona and Atlanta games and 23 over six games between Weeks 9-14.

The defense pitched a shutout until 7:02 remained in the third quarter, and the group possibly could have limited Chicago to single digits without the blocked punt. There were only three of 11 possessions on which the Bears gained more than 35 yards (60, 62 and 49). The 60-yard drive ended with a stop on fourth down, and the other two resulted in field goals.

Hello, my question is about the seeding of the Vikings in the playoffs. If the Vikings win out, I know they will take the NFC North. But if they win out, and the Eagles win out, could the Vikings get the No. 1 seed based on common opponents? I know the Vikings beat Atlanta and the Eagles lost to Atlanta. They both would have the same conference record.

Thanks,

— Dan Burrows

Yes, if the Vikings win out, they will earn the No. 1 seed, even if the Eagles also win their final three games.

But the decisive tiebreaker would come down to strength of victory (special thanks to ESPN's NFL Playoff Machine for allowing me to simulate the scenario above and conclude the standoff would be decided by the fourth of 11 possible tiebreakers.

The following procedures are used to break a tie between division winners [notes on the first four tiebreakers]:

1. Head-to-head, if applicable. [Vikings and Eagles did not play in regular season]
2. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference. [Vikings and Eagles would each be 10-2 in NFC games]
3. Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games, minimum of four. [Vikings and Eagles each played Packers, Falcons, Giants, Jaguars and Rams, and each would be 5-1 against those teams in this scenario — the Eagles lost to the Falcons in Week 2]
4. Strength of victory. [Minnesota's win total would have been built against teams with better records than Philadelphia's, which would be a fitting reward considering the strength of the NFC North this season]
5. Strength of schedule.
6. Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed.
7. Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed.
8. Best net points in conference games.
9. Best net points in all games.
10. Best net touchdowns in all games.
11. Coin toss.

Three more to go. Win them all, and the No. 1 seed is ours. We gotta play better than Monday night. Sam was off. Jefferson dropped a for-sure TD? I couldn't believe it. Defense was solid enough. Good to see Dallas Turner get a sack. We frankly played just good enough against a really bad Bears team. A win's a win. Now if we can just win one in Seattle. And we haven't had much luck there.

SKOL,

— J.B. Brunet in Texas

Yep, as mentioned above, the Vikings control their own destiny toward securing the precious No. 1 seed, which comes with a first-round bye and home-field advantage through the NFC Playoffs.

The most shocking moment of the whole game may have been Jefferson's drop because he's so reliable. That very likely would have been a 30-yard touchdown instead of the drive ending with an interception. Exchange the touchdown for the INT and swap the yardage out, and Darnold's passer rating goes from the 74.1 he had to a 95.6.

Although he did have a couple of misses high, he also threw some flamethrowers.

Now, the Vikings must secure their first win against the Seahawks in Seattle since 2006.

At some point in your Mailbag, would you address signing Sam Darnold.

Why aren't we signing him NOW? Three-year, $100 million. Why do I hear the Vikings will let him walk after this year? Why for an unproven rookie with [an injured] knee.

Why haven't we signed him yet?

— Kevin Flynn

So I did start Monday's Mailbag with several questions and a long, collective response about what options the Vikings have with Darnold when the proper time comes (after the season concludes, which no one wants to happen anytime soon).

The options include setting a walk-away price as they did last year with Kirk Cousins, re-signing Darnold (to a one-year or multi-year deal) or using the franchise tag. Some people said the Vikings should not have done that with Cousins, but the Vikings clearly had a plan for moving forward if he did opt for another offer.

Darnold has earned the right to entertain offers that may be presented on the open market, and he also has years of perspective in making decisions for his future.

I would like to draw a distinction between J.J. McCarthy and the classification of him being an "unproven rookie." His college career and other factors led to his selection at No. 10 overall, and he showed quite a bit (albeit training camp and one preseason game) quickly. People should be excited about McCarthy's future, even if they want Darnold to remain a Viking.

This Vikings organization should not let Sam Darnold go at the end of the season. McCarthy has not played a single snap in an NFL game. He is not as big and tough as Darnold. How many rookie QBs get sidelined a whole year for a meniscus tear? I don't remember any. He needs to be considered a possible injury risk and will be playing with a less than perfect knee. Even when he adjusts to the offense, he clearly does not have all the physical skills and size of Darnold. It would be unreasonable to expect McCarthy to be as good as Darnold has been. He certainly has a lot less experience and is not known as a big-time passer. Michigan relied very heavily on their run game, and if you saw the championship game, McCarthy didn't throw the ball much at all.

To be smart, let McCarthy sit behind Darnold for two-three years like Jordan Love and Aaron Rodgers did at Packers. Look how well that has worked. At least have a QB competition next year and McCarthy can be a backup. He can compete with Daniel Jones. I don't think Daniel Jones is that good of a QB, but it looks like the plan is for McCarthy to start and Jones be his backup. That thinking needs to be re-considered. Jones has had plenty of time to show his talent in NFL, and he is not that good.

If the Vikings let Darnold go, it will be a dumb decision! He is a known entity and is demonstrating his skills and moxie, weekly.

— Dan Price, Longtime Vikings fan in Indiana

McCarthy grew up playing hockey and football, so I'd stand on the side of him being plenty tough. His torn meniscus can't be tied to toughness. There is a variance in surgical procedures, depending on the injury, which isn't fully diagnosed until the patient is undergoing an operation. The diagnosis on McCarthy led to a procedure requiring a longer recovery time because that was what was deemed better for the long term.

I do agree with you on it being unreasonable to expect someone who is basically going to be a 22-year-old first-year player to do some of the things Darnold has been able to do in his seventh pro season at age 27.

There were plenty of doubters for Darnold when the Vikings signed him in March, so I'm willing to extend an open mind toward anyone the Vikings staff puts stock in at QB. Things didn't work out for Daniel Jones in New York, and he opted to join Minnesota's practice squad for the rest of this season instead of going to another team's 53-man roster. He'll be scheduled to become a free agent in the spring, as well.

Give our Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year nominee a cape!

Joe Buck and Troy Aikman didn't even notice C.J. Ham saving Cam Akers from being tackled, picking him up, and dragging him backwards across the goal line. No. 30 did that all by himself. This man is a hero on and off the field!! Give him some credit for this, and NFL, give the man the annual award already.

— Heidi from Maple Grove, Minnesota

I've mentioned before how Cam Akers is a great player to pull for because of the way he plays every snap. Ham took the pulling for him to another level by helping Akers cross the goal line for a 1-yard touchdown.

There are so many things that Ham does well to open up different elements of offense for the Vikings, and his leadership on and off the field is so valuable.

In case you missed it, our Lindsey Young wrote the Playbook cover feature on Ham when he was announced as this year's Vikings nominee, as well as covered an event last week featuring Boys & Girls Clubs members and surprises for the fullback.

Well, the Bears-Vikings game is now in the bag. Lots of media speculation about the playoffs going around. The trip to the Super Bowl has to travel through the NFC North once again. The Lions lost to the Bills. Green Bay is in the hunt after defeating the Seahawks. Seattle, Green Bay and Detroit are the next three teams we face. My question is, should the divisional title go down to the last game (Week 18) between the Vikes and Lions and should (gasp) the Vikes lose, what seed would they be at for the playoffs? These last three weeks will be nailbiters for sure.

— Jerry in Ohio

Current No. 1 seed Lions (12-2) final three games: at Bears (4-10), at 49ers (6-8), vs. Vikings (12-2)

Current No. 5 seed Vikings (12-2) final three games: at Seahawks (8-6), vs. Packers (10-4), at Lions (12-2)

Current No. 6 seed Packers (10-4) final three games: vs. Saints (5-9), at Vikings (12-2), vs. Bears (4-10)

If the NFC North crown comes down to the final week but the Vikings lose, then it's most likely they will be the No. 5 seed. This is based on the premise of the Lions and Vikings winning their next two games, which would put Minnesota ahead of Green Bay.

It would take quite a bit, but the Packers could still win the NFC North if they win out, depending on what else happens.

Once again, Minnesota will get the No. 1 by winning out, regardless of anything else.

The Vikings also could land at the No. 2 spot if Philadelphia finished with the best record in the NFC and Minnesota finished ahead of Detroit and Green Bay.

The playoff picture will continue develop.

I'm 83 years old and really want all my years of cheering for the Vikings to pay off this year!!

— Linda H.

Thanks so much for the long-time support. There's been some really great opportunities over the years that almost panned out. I do know the Vikings are doing everything they can to win their first Lombardi Trophy and will enjoy doing so in honor of fans like you.