MINNEAPOLIS -- Hello, for the last time in 2014, from TCF Bank Stadium, where the Minnesota Vikings will close out their season against the Chicago Bears. It's projected to be 18 degrees at kickoff (hold all tickets for possible certificates of participation), and the Vikings will try to win their first NFC North game this season against a Bears team that could start looking for a new coach tomorrow.
The Vikings will finish their season without linebacker Chad Greenway, who was listed as questionable on Friday but will not play on Sunday with a knee injury. Greenway, who sustained the injury last Sunday against the Miami Dolphins, had hoped to play on Sunday, at the end of an emotional week where he said goodbye to his father, Alan, but he'll have to watch from the sideline. Time will tell whether the linebacker gets back to Minnesota for another game.
He's got an $8.8 million cap figure in 2015, turns 32 in January and would likely have to take a pay cut to finish out his contract with the Vikings. Greenway has said he's willing to renegotiate his contract, and his leadership has been valuable to the Vikings' defense this season. The Vikings will have to decide whether they want to bring him back when Gerald Hodges appears ready to step into a starting role. Regardless of what happens after Sunday, it's a tough way for a classy pro like Greenway to see his season end.
The Vikings also won't have linebacker Brandon Watts, meaning they'll have to shuffle their group of linebackers. Practice-squad addition Josh Kaddu is active and he'll likely play behind Hodges, Jasper Brinkley and Audie Cole. Running back Henry Josey is inactive after the Vikings added him to their roster this week. Instead, the Vikings will have fullback Zach Line active for the first time this season.
Here is the Vikings' full list of inactives:
LB Chad Greenway
LB Brandon Watts
CB Shaun Prater
RB Henry Josey
