–Win and in, that’s Minnesota’s position heading into the final week of the regular season. If the Vikings (8-6-1) win, they will clinch a playoff berth. If Minnesota loses, it can still get into the playoffs with a loss or tie by the Philadelphia Eagles, who play at Washington.
–Running back Latavius Murray was named the winner of the Korey Stringer Good Guy Award for his cooperation with the local media. Murray is always available and insightful for reporters throughout the week and after games, win or lose. Murray is second on the team in rushing with 560 yards, just 16 yards behind Dalvin Cook. Murray has six rushing touchdowns this season.
–Safety Anthony Harris, who has become a full-time starter in his fourth season with the injury to Andrew Sendejo, had two interceptions in the previous meeting against Chicago. Harris has three interceptions this season.
–Wide receiver Stefon Diggs has a touchdown in five of his six career games against the Bears and has a touchdown in seven straight games against the NFC North. Diggs is six catches away from 100 for the season, which would be the first 100-catch season of his career. He’s 26 receiving yards away from his first 1,000-yard receiving season. He also has eight touchdowns.
–Wide receiver Adam Thielen needs one touchdown to reach 10 for the season. He and Diggs could become the first wide receiver teammates in NFL history to each post 100 catches and 10 touchdowns in the same season. Tight end Dallas Clark and wide receiver Reggie Wayne accomplished the feat for the Indianapolis Colts in 2009.
Thielen starts the final week of the regular season 10 catches behind New Orleans wide receiver Michael Thomas for the league lead. He’s 204 receiving yards behind Atlanta wide receiver Julio Jones for the league lead.
–Defensive end Danielle Hunter starts the final week of games with a career-best 14.5 sacks. He’s tied for third in the NFL with Denver linebacker Von Miller and Houston defensive end J.J. Watt. Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald has 19.5 sacks and Kansas City defensive lineman Chris Jones is second with 15.5.
–For the first time in his two-year career, running back Dalvin Cook has recorded 100 yards from scrimmage in consecutive games. He has 271 yards (209 rushing) the past two weeks. He has 460 scrimmage yards and three touchdowns over the past four games.
–With one more touchdown pass, quarterback Kirk Cousins would join Warren Moon (1995), Daunte Culpepper (2004) and Brett Favre (2009) as the only players in franchise history to throw for at least 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns in the same season. Cousins begins the week third in the NFL with 405 completions. He’s thrown for 4,166 yards (seventh in the NFL this season) and a 100.4 passer rating (eighth in the league).
BY THE NUMBERS: 28.2 – The percentage of conversions Minnesota’s defense has allowed this season. The Vikings lead the league for the second straight season after holding teams to 25.5 percent last season.
