The Chicago Bears saw their playoff hopes end as the Minnesota Vikings edged by their inner-divisional rival, the Green Bay Packers.
The Packers' loss knocks them out of the second seed in the NFC playoffs, bumping them to the third seed and elevating the San Francisco 49ers to the second spot.
With the win, the Vikings become the NFC's sixth seed in the playoffs, and they'll be traveling to Lambeau Field next weekend to play the Packers for the third time this season.
The Vikings relied heavily on running back Adrian Peterson to sneak past the Packers. Peterson fell just nine yards short of Erick Dickerson's record for most rushing yards in a season, but the record was likely an afterthought for anyone involved with the Vikings. The postseason birth came first.
The playoffs are now set as follows:
AFC
1. Denver Broncos
2. New England Patriots
3. Houston Texans
4. Baltimore Ravens
5. Indianapolis Colts
6. Cincinnati Bengals
NFC
1. Atlanta Falcons
2. San Francisco 49ers
3. Green Bay Packers
4. *Dallas Cowboys/Washington Redskins
5. Seattle Seahawks
6. Minnesota Vikings
* The winner of tonight's matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Redskins becomes the NFC's fourth seed in the playoffs.
