Thanks to the Philadelphia Eagles defeating the Oakland Raiders in Week 16 (barely), the top seed in the NFC playoffs is no longer up for grabs. However, with a win on Sunday, the Minnesota Vikings can clinch the NFC’s second seed and earn a first-round playoff bye.
Defeating the Chicago Bears this week at U.S. Bank Stadium is actually not the only way the Vikings can enter the postseason as the second seed in the NFC. It can also be accomplished in a few other ways.
If for some reason Minnesota is unable to get a win over the 5-10 Bears on Sunday, then one of three of the following scenarios would need to occur in order for the Vikings to rest during the first week of the playoffs.