Which team has less to play for? Pretty much a dead heat

It’s hard to say how the Bears will take this game. They had a dud at home against the Chiefs after the playoff dream was extinguished in Green Bay the week before. The Vikings have to be mindful of their health as they look ahead to wild-card weekend. Figure they turn to reserves at some positions, and that allows the Bears to eke one out before turning their attention to offseason moves in 2020.

This matchup is hard to pin down because it has a preseason feel. There are no playoff implications for either team. The Bears will try to muster focus a week after lacking it against the Chiefs. The banged-up Vikings are looking ahead to wild-card weekend. I can only guess what that means for Sunday, other than both sides will be glad when the fourth-quarter clock shows 0:00. Matt Nagy’s team is 3-0 against the Vikings, and the Bears should have an edge playing their starters against Vikings backups. The guess here is the Bears barely get to the elusive 20-point mark and end the season on an uptick. But nothing would surprise me.

It’s hard to know which team has less to play for, but I think it’s the Vikings, who should be more concerned about staying healthy for the playoffs than tuning up for them. Playing for .500 isn’t much, but the Bears seemed genuinely upset after the embarrassment against the Chiefs, so perhaps there’s a little motivation left to fuel a win.

It’s a different kind of wild card for both teams, who have to figure out how much Sunday means to them. It’s hard to know how much the Bears have left in the tank physically, mentally and emotionally.