Just when it appeared the circus known as the Minnesota Vikings was pulling up stakes and going out of business, its ringmaster decided he had at least one more act up his sleeve.
So when Brett Favre and the Vikings visit the Chicago Bears on Sunday, the show will go on, and it’s even possible a performance or two could be added at the end of the season.
That’s because the Vikings kept their playoff hopes alive with a 27-24 victory over the Arizona Cardinals last week.
The Vikings (3-5) aren’t in great shape, but neither is the rest of the NFC. Nine wins could very well land Minnesota a wild card berth. The Bears, though, will be ready to dance. They are 5-3 and on solid ground in the NFC.
Trailing 24-10 last week, the Vikings got the ball back with 4:39 left. They sent the game into overtime on Adrian Peterson’s 4-yard run and Favre’s 25-yard pass to Visanthe Shiancoe before Ryan Longwell won it with a 35-yard field goal.
Favre threw for a career-high 446 yards, with a typical line of two touchdowns and two interceptions.
The Bears and Vikings have solid defenses, especially against the run. The Bears are third (83.9 yards per game) while the Vikings are seventh (96.2). The Bears are also fourth in points allowed (16.6).
Chicago is 19th against the pass while the Vikings are 10th. Neither team rushes the passer well – they each have 12 sacks, ranked 25th in the NFL.
The game will probably come down to the arm of Favre, though. The future Hall of Famer, who is 23-11 in his career against the Bears, is not having a season worthy of enshrinement, with 13 interceptions and nine touchdowns. He is ranked 27th in passer rating at 75.7.
Maybe the best way he could use his arm is by handing off to Peterson, who is second in the NFL with 857 yards and has scored seven touchdowns. Also, Peterson has averaged 122.2 yards in six games against the Bears and has scored 11 touchdowns.
Peterson is the team’s second-leading receiver with 26 catches and a touchdown. Percy Harvin, the Vikings’ top receiver, missed practice Wednesday as he has renewed his battle with migraine headaches. He is questionable.
Bears quarterback Jay Cutler has taken a beating this season. He has been sacked 27 times in seven games, including nine in a 17-3 loss to the New York Giants on Oct. 3. Cutler left the game at halftime with a concussion and missed the following game against the Carolina Panthers.
Cutler has nine touchdowns and seven interceptions. His favorite target is running back Matt Forte, who has a team-leading 26 catches and three touchdowns. Deep threat Johnny Knox has 24 catches and a touchdown.
Forte also leads the Bears in rushing with 352 yards and three touchdowns.
The Bears won the last meeting 36-30 in overtime Dec. 28, 2009, on Cutler’s 39-yard touchdown pass to Devin Aromashodu.