Everybody has made the point quite clear. The Chicago Bears have little to play for this coming Sunday in the season finale against the Minnesota Vikings. Sure they have a shot at the #2 seed and a first round bye but their odds of getting it are slim. The Los Angeles Rams, who currently hold it, will be playing at home against the banged-up San Francisco 49ers.
Sure the 49ers played the Bears tough last week but that was at home. The Rams have been almost impossible to beat in their stadium this year. So again, it might be difficult for the Bears to find motivation for this one. Sure beating Minnesota is always fun and it would be nice to go into the playoffs with as much momentum as possible.
Still, the risk of injuring key players with a limited chance of significant gain to their fortunes may not sound too appealing. Then again people seem to forget the Bears were in this exact same position before the last time they went to the playoffs.
Chicago Bears have good reason to be wary of the Vikings
Eight years ago it was the same story. The Bears were 11-4 going into the season finale. They had the division championship locked up and their opponent, the Green Bay Packers, needed a win to make the playoffs. It was on the road at Lambeau Field. Everybody wondered if Chicago would choose to rest their starters or go for the win.
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Head coach Lovie Smith stayed true to the rivalry, playing his full roster the entire game. It was a tough defensive battle that came down to the final minutes. Green Bay ended up prevailing 10-3. As it turned out, Smith was right to try knocking them out. A few weeks later in the NFC championship, the Packers came into Soldier Field, beat the Bears 21-14 and won the Super Bowl.
This isn’t an isolated incident either. Since 2010, when two divisional foes meet in the playoffs, the lower seeded team has won three out of seven games. That may not sound like a lot but it’s proof that divisional games can be far more unpredictable. This isn’t to say the Bears can’t beat the Vikings in a third matchup, but one would wonder if it might be better facing an opponent that doesn’t know them quite so well.
