In the past decade, the Vikings have qualified for the playoffs four different times: 2008, 2009, 2012 and now this season.

In three of those seasons (2008, 2009 and 2015), Minnesota has played and defeated the Giants after Christmas. Each time, the game had playoff implications.

In the other year, 2012, the Vikings played the Packers in the season finale, also with massive playoff implications. The Vikings ended up winning that game 37-34 to make the postseason.

With the Giants already taken care of, we will see if the Vikings can also dispatch Green Bay.

strange but true Jayson Stark has compiled his annual column of statistical oddities in MLB this season, a must-read at ESPN.com.

another chance? Bleacherreport.com's Mike Freeman tweeted that Josh Freeman was slated to work out Monday for the QB-depleted Colts.