A huge NFC North showdown took place on Sunday night, as the Chicago Bears hosted the Minnesota Vikings. In the end, the Bears won 25-20 to remain in first place.

The Vikings struggled to put points on the board for the most of the night, although their defense played well enough to give them a chance to win. But despite pulling within eight points twice in the fourth quarter and five in the final minute, Minnesota was ultimately unable to overcome its division rivals.

As a result, the Vikings now find themselves a game and a half behind Chicago in the NFC North. Meanwhile, the Bears have won four straight overall and two in a row over divisional foes. At 7-3, they currently hold the No. 3 seed in the NFC.

At 5-4-1, the Vikings would be the No. 6 seed if the playoffs started today. But the postseason should be the last thing on their mind right now with games against the Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks looming over the next three weeks. Not that the schedule lightens after that either, as Minnesota finishes the season matching up with the Miami Dolphins, Detroit Lions and Chicago.

Obviously, it’s a tough road to the playoffs for Minnesota, which was 1-2-1 after its first four games before winning three straight. Since then, the Vikings have gone 1-2 over their past three games to find themselves in their current situation.

On Sunday night, they let another opportunity pass them by. Nevertheless, here’s a look at the three best performances from Minnesota’s Week 11 loss to the Bears.

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