CHICAGO BEARS (5-10)	WK 17	MINNESOTA VIKINGS (12-3)
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Here are the ground rules for the Game Threads:

-Thou shalt not link illegal feeds of today's game, or I shall kick thy arse to the curb until the game is over. Do not promote then, do not mention them, do not even hint at them. Thou hast been warned.

-Thou shalt make an attempt to keep the swearing to a minimum. Understandable that it will slip occasionally, but do try to limit it. If you really feel the need to curse, use the spoiler tags to keep it covered up. We'll get the sentiment.

-Thou shalt not feed the trolls. Rather, thou shall simply point them out, and they shall be banished to the fires of Mordor. Or Wisconsin. Whichever we feel is more harsh at the time.

-Thou shalt not engage in racist, sexist, or other such insulting rhetoric. Somebody disagreeing with you does not make them racist or sexist. It means they disagree with you. Talk it out like adults.

-Thou shalt not bait the fans of other teams into trolling.

-Basically, thou shalt not be a jackwagon in the game thread.

The 2017 regular season comes to an end today across the National Football League, and for the Minnesota Vikings it ends with a game at home against the Chicago Bears. While we know that the Vikings are headed for the postseason, we still don't know when their first game will be. If they pull out a victory in this one, they'll get a week off as a result of clinching a first-round bye in this year's playoffs. If the Vikings should lose, they'll be at the mercy of this afternoon's late games to see whether or not they get that #2 seed and a bye.

So, what does the purple have to do in order to not leave any suspense for the late afternoon?

1) Focus on Jordan Howard - In his short career in the National Football League, Jordan Howard has shown himself to be a bit of a Viking killer. He's clearly the focal point of this Chicago offense, even with the development of quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. If the Vikings can keep Howard under wraps and keep the Chicago offense "behind schedule" when it comes to down and distance, they'll be able to go after Trubisky on passing downs and try to make his life miserable.

2) Don't make the big mistake - This is a game the Vikings should win with relative ease. In order to ensure they do that, though, they need to make sure that they don't give the Bears extra chances. That means not turning the ball over and giving the Chicago offense a short field, and it also means doing a good job of stopping returns on special teams. If the Bears have to consistently string together long drives to score points, they're going to have a difficult time in this one.

3) Stay healthy - While the Vikings would love to have a win here, even more important is to keep the team as relatively healthy as they can. The Vikings are already without center Pat Elflein for this one, and they certainly don't need any more issues on the offensive line now that Nick Easton is done for the year as well. Here's hoping that both of these teams can come out of this one relatively unscathed.

We are less than an hour away from kickoff at U.S. Bank Stadium for the 2017 regular season finale, folks. Come on in and join us for all the action, and keep your eyes open for the new thread at the start of each quarter.

SKOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL VIKINGS!!!!