Vikings at Bears -- Week 12

Where: Soldier Field, Chicago (grass, outdoors)

When: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (Fox)

Spread: Bears by 1

Records: Vikings (Overall: 6-4, NFC North: 2-0); Bears (Overall: 7-3, NFC North: 1-1)

Past results: Two most recent meetings -- Jan. 1, 2012: Bears 17, Vikings 13; Oct. 16. 2011: Bears 39, Vikings 10. Series record: Vikings lead 58-42-2.

What matters: The Vikings have won just one game in Soldier Field in the past 11 seasons, and that one came on the final play of the game on a 55-yard field goal in 2007. If there is any advantage to be gained from scheduling, the Vikings are coming off a bye week while the Bears have suffered two consecutive losses, one of them a bad one last Monday night in San Francisco. The Bears have been without QB Jay Cutler for a game-and-a-half and that has contributed to the losses, but don’t expect him to be missing from the lineup on Sunday.

“We’re probably going to prepare as if he is going to play,” coach Leslie Frazier said. “Until we hear otherwise, we’re going to prepare as if he is going to play and we may not know until game time, but we’re thinking he is going to play.”

Who matters: Both quarterbacks -- the Vikings Christian Ponder and Cutler -- will figure mightily in this one. Cutler is recovering from a concussion, but he will play on Sunday since maintaining first place in the NFC North is on the line for Chicago. Regardless, how Ponder plays will have a bigger impact on the game. In the Vikings’ last game, Ponder rediscovered his form and spread the ball around to nine receivers against the Lions. He opened things up for RB Adrian Peterson to run wild in the fourth quarter, which was a major factor in the win. Ponder’s previous performances left plenty to be desired, when he threw for less than 65 yards in two of three games. The game is outdoors and on the road -- two aspects that usually aren’t in the Vikings' favor -- but if Ponder, who has called this game the most important of his career, plays with the confidence he showed his last time out, the Vikings can come away with a rare win in the Windy City.

Key matchups: The engine that drives the Vikings is Peterson, and he will need a big day for Minnesota to pull out a win against the Bears. It has happened before -- the last time Minnesota beat the Bears in Chicago was Peterson’s rookie year in 2007 when he rushed for 224 yards and three touchdowns. Peterson will be facing the Bears' fifth-ranked defense, which is No. 8 against the rush (95.2 ypg). Chicago did not look so good giving up 123 yards on the ground to the 49ers on Monday night, but they are sure to rebound at home on Sunday, where the suspect turf conditions usually spell doom for opposing running backs. Peterson was held out of practice earlier in the week with an ankle injury that has bothered him for some time. But with an average 176.5 rushing yards in his last two games, it doesn’t appear to be holding him back.

Injuries of note: WR Percy Harvin is the Vikings' biggest concern. Harvin sprained his ankle in three places against Seattle and missed the game against the Lions. He did not participate in practices on Wednesday and Thursday. Harvin will try to practice on Friday in hopes of making the trip to Chicago.

Inside stuff: Peterson has rushed for more than 100 yards in the past four games and leads the NFL with 1,128 rushing yards. In a testament (in part) to Peterson’s dominance, but perhaps even more to the fact that the NFL has become a passing league, Peterson has rushed for more yards than 21 NFL teams.

Connections: Former Vikings head coach Mike Tice is the Bears offensive coordinator. And Vikings WR Devin Aromashodu played three years in Chicago before coming to the Vikings two seasons ago. He famously beat injured CB Antoine Winfield for a 39-yard touchdown reception in overtime in 2009 to knock the Vikings out of home-field advantage throughout the playoffs -- something that might have helped Minnesota against the New Orleans Saints in the NFC title game.

Stat you should know: The Vikings rank second in the NFL in first-down rushing defense, allowing only 3.63 yards per rush.  The NFC North is the only division in the NFL to have three teams with winning records. With seven games that pit NFC North teams against each other in the remaining six weeks, that number is likely to change.

Record watch: Peterson has four consecutive games of 100-plus yards for the second time in his career and the first time since 2008. RB Robert Smith holds the team record with five straight games with 100-plus yards. K Blair Walsh has the fourth-most points scored in the NFL with 90. Walsh is poised to break the Vikings' rookie scoring record of 106 points held by Randy Moss.

Looking ahead: The Vikings travel to Green Bay in Week 13. The Bears host to the Seattle Seahawks, who are a much better home team (5-0) than a road team (1-4).

Prediction: Bears 17, Vikings 13

For more Vikings news and notes, follow Joe Oberle on Twitter @CBSVikings and @joeoberle.