There’s no bigger reminder that the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings are headed in different directions than the fact that the Vikings look like they’ll be resting most of their starters Sunday against the Bears.
Because, unlike the Bears, the Vikings are preparing for the postseason.
While I’m told the Vikings haven’t finalized their plan for Sunday, they’re leaning heavily towards resting a bulk of their starters, including Kirk Cousins, per league source. Team viewing Chicago week as a bye in terms of getting guys rest/healthy for Jan.
— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) December 27, 2019
While nothing is set in stone just yet, it sounds like the Vikings are focused on staying healthy heading into the playoffs. Win or lose, the Vikings will be the No. 6 seed when the postseason begins. Running back Dalvin Cook (chest/shoulder) has already been ruled out for Sunday’s game.
The Bears meanwhile will be treating their season finale like an ordinary game, where Matt Nagy insists he’ll play his starters. But he’s hinted that it could provide some opportunities for some of the younger players to get some valuable reps.
“Being able to go win the game is important to us,” Nagy said. “It does also, at the same time, present some opportunities … knowing kind of where they’re at and where we’re at. We’ll see where that takes us. I want to be smart about it. But at the same time if there is somebody we can get a chance to see, we want to be able to do that as well.”
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