Even if the Vikings lose to the Bears on Sunday, they can still claim the NFC's final wild-card spot with an Eagles loss or tie against the Redskins on Sunday.
Chicago's own interest in playing its starters through four quarters could also be dictated by what the Rams do against the Cardinals, since the only way the Bears can claim a first-round bye is with a win and a Rams loss to the 49ers.
All the permutations that could affect the Vikings' playoff positioning, though, won't be on Vikings coach Mike Zimmer's mind on Sunday afternoon.
The coach, who said he doesn't typically look at scoreboards during the Vikings' games, didn't seem to mind if the Eagles score flashes on the video boards at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
"I don't care. What they show on the scoreboard is up to the scoreboard people," he said. "I don't get into all that. [General Manager] Rick [Spielman] and I have talked about those things, but they ask me, 'Is it OK if we have the doors open this week?' I don't care. Let's just go play football."
If the NFC's playoff picture stays the same after Sunday, the Vikings would find themselves in Chicago for the first round of the playoffs, in a rematch with the Bears that paralleled the end of their 2012 season, when they traveled to Green Bay for a first-round playoff game after beating the Packers in Week 17 to deny them a first-round bye while claiming the NFC's No. 6 seed.
Life without Sherels
Punt returner Marcus Sherels missed his second day of practice this week on Thursday, sitting out with the foot injury he sustained against the Lions. Special teams coordinator Mike Priefer didn't sound optimistic about Sherels' chances of playing against the Bears on Thursday, meaning the Vikings will have to operate again without their longtime return man.
"You have a guy like Marcus back there, you don't really give it a second thought," Priefer said. "Obviously, it'll be a little bit different this week, but I take a lot of pride in prepping guys all year long, anyway, and we don't even skip a beat."