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There really isn't going to be a whole heck of a lot on the line this Sunday at TCF Bank Stadium when the Minnesota Vikings host the Chicago Bears in the 2014 regular season finale. The Vikings will be playing to not get swept by the rest of the NFC North for the second time in four years (it also happened back in 2011), while the Bears could be playing to save the job of head coach Marc Trestman, though reports have been swirling for weeks that his fate has already been decided and Sunday will be his last game as Chicago's head coach.
One thing that both sides will be looking at, however, is where they'll be selecting in the 2015 NFL Draft. The Bears currently occupy the #7 spot and, according to the Chicago Tribune, will lock that spot up with a loss. If the Bears were to beat Minnesota, they could potentially fall as low as #11.
On the other hand, the Vikings currently sit at #9 in the draft order. . .we originally had them at #8, but after the late games on Sunday and the Monday night contest, the strength of schedule tie with the Atlanta Falcons was broken, and the Vikings dropped behind Atlanta in the draft order. They could also drop as low as #7 with a loss on Sunday, depending on the results of the Carolina/Atlanta game. If the Vikings lose and the Falcons win, Minnesota would end up at #7, while a Minnesota loss and an Atlanta loss would likely put Minnesota at #8.
A Minnesota win over Chicago would put them at no worse than the 9th overall pick, with the final position being determined by the outcome of games involving the St. Louis Rams (at Seattle), New Orleans Saints (at Tampa Bay), New York Giants (vs Philadelphia), and Cleveland Browns (at Baltimore). The lowest pick the Vikings could finish with is #13 overall.
So, if you're looking to get your draft preparation started. . .and, really, aren't we all. . .that's the scenario the Vikings are looking at for this weekend. Hopefully, regardless of all of this, the Vikings will be able to pull it together and sent Marc Trestman and (in all likelihood) Jay Cutler out of Chicago with a loss.