The Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears shared similar experiences last weekend. They both were buried - and not just by the elements.
There's a possibility of an encore when the NFC North-leading Bears visit the Vikings on what promises to be a frigid Monday Night Football matchup.
The game will be played outdoors at the University's of Minnesota's TCF Bank Stadium in the wake of the Metrodome roof collapsing under heavy snow last weekend.
That forced the Vikings to move last week’s scheduled home game against the New York Giants to Detroit's Ford Field. Minnesota played like it was on foreign soil and got throttled 21-3 on a historic day that saw Brett Favre's ironman streak end at 297 consecutive games played.
The defeat officially eliminated the Vikings (5-8) from playoff contention and compounded their quarterback woes when Tarvaris Jackson suffered a turf toe injury. He was placed on injured reserve Thursday, ending his season.
Who the Vikings will start against the Bears is anyone's guess. Favre is not expected to play due to a shoulder injury that is causing numbness in his throwing hand, leaving coach Leslie Frazier to choose between rookie Joe Webb or Patrick Ramsey, who was signed off the street Thursday.
The Bears (9-4) probably don't care who gets the nod for Minnesota after getting torched by Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in a 36-7 rout in Chicago.
Despite playing in snowy conditions and high winds, Brady shredded the Bears for 369 yards as the Patriots blew out to a 33-0 halftime lead and coasted to victory.
The loss snapped a five-game winning streak for Chicago, which maintained a one-game lead in the division after Green Bay's surprising 7-3 loss at Detroit.
Among those wins was a 27-13 victory over the Vikings on Nov. 14. Jay Cutler threw for 237 yards and three touchdowns while the Bears' defense intercepted Favre three times and limited Minnesota to 240 total yards.
Running back Adrian Peterson was limited to 51 yards on 17 carries in that matchup. He also had a dismal performance against the Giants with 26 yards on 14 carries, but he likely will see a heavy workload with temperatures forecast to be near zero and an untested rookie likely to start at QB.
Cutler struggled in the miserable conditions against the Patriots. Forced to play catch-up after New England bolted to a 21-0 lead just over five minutes into the second quarter, he finished 12 of 26 for 152 yards and two interceptions. Chicago managed just 185 yards of total offense.
The Bears will be going for their first sweep of Minnesota since 2006 – the year they won’t to the Super Bowl.
It will be the first outdoor game for the Vikings in their home state in 29 years.