For most of the past five years, the Minnesota Vikings haven’t had to worry all that much about their rivals just over 400 miles to the southeast. The Milquetoast of the Midway have brought up the caboose in the NFC North every season since Mike Zimmer took over. Chicago hasn’t won the division for seven years running. Soldier Field used to be a villainous vortex that vexed the Vikings from victory; now Minnesota is looking for its third win in four trips.
Sadly, the salad days of Jim Tressman and John Fox are long gone.