CHICAGO — The Vikings won their final game of the regular season to finish 13-4. They managed to beat a disengaged Bears team 29-13 with most of their starters resting the second half, and they appeared to escape Soldier Field with no major injuries before the start of the playoffs next weekend.
It was difficult to derive much else from a game that was played in January but felt like it could have taken place in August.
The Vikings, who'd ruled safety Harrison Smith out because of knee soreness on Saturday, also rested linebacker Brian Asamoah and cornerback Cameron Dantzler with injuries, while keeping linebacker Za'Darius Smith out because of the personal matter that led him to travel separately to the game. They began the day with the hopes of building a big enough early lead that they could get starters out of the game.
