Week 18 in the NFL will be a largely meaningless one for both the Minnesota Vikings and the Chicago Bears, who will play each other at noon at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

With the Vikings officially eliminated from playoff contention after their loss to the Packers on Sunday Night Football, the game is largely for pride and slight jockeying in draft order for the two teams.

With nothing really on the line, fans and members of the media have been wondering if the Vikings will play their starting roster. Furthermore, there has been the question of whether or not we will see quarterback Kirk Cousins one more time this season after being sidelined against the Packers due to testing positive with COVID-19.

One thing was clear coming out of Sunday's game against the Packers - Zimmer had no intent of starting rookie third round pick Kellen Mond against the Bears. In very "Zimmer" fashion, the coach responded in his post-game press conference to a question about wanting to see Mond in the game by saying "not particularly". Yikes.

Zimmer has since walked back on the comments some, softening it by explaining Mond has improved through the season, but he remains the team's third-string quarterback. He went on to say "He’s got a chance to be a good player, but he’s third on the depth chart."

Fast-forward to Wednesday morning, where ESPN reporter Courtney Cronin shared that Zimmer plans to play all available starters. When specifically asked about Cousins, who is coming off his COVID-19 quarantine, Zimmer said Kirk will start.

If nothing else, this will give the team's decisionmakers one more look at the current coaching staff and roster ahead of a long offseason where there are likely to be some changes after missing the playoffs two years in a row.

The 7-9 Vikings will host the 6-10 Bears at noon on Sunday at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. You can catch the game on the radio on the FAN 106.5 FM/560 AM and B105 in the Twin Ports and around the Northland, with pregame coverage starting at 11 am.

10 Minnesota Vikings Kickers Since 1998

The Minnesota Vikings will head into the 2021 season with yet another new kicker, after releasing Dan Bailey in March. The Vikings certainly have had their fair share of kickers in recent years. Let's take a look back at who has kicked for the team since 1998. Some of these guys may be better than you remember, but there are likely a few you'd like to forget.

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