Games of Interest in Week 15

The Vikings are going from a Thursday game to a Monday contest for the first time in team history when Minnesota (6-7) visits Chicago (4-9).

Aside from getting a win at Soldier Field, there are numerous games that could impact Minnesota’s status for a playoff spot. Here’s a preview of three.

Atlanta Falcons (6-7) at San Francisco 49ers (7-6)

3:05 p.m. (CT) Sunday | Levi’s Stadium | CBS (regional broadcast)

Outlook: The Falcons are one of six NFC teams who entered Week 15 with a 6-7 record. A 3-6 mark against conference foes, however, has Atlanta at 10th overall in the division. That could change mightily with this one, which received a 97 out of 100 in “importance” from analytics site fivethirtyeight.com, because Atlanta could leapfrog San Francisco and claim the head-to-head tiebreaker with an upset win.

QB Matt Ryan needs three touchdown tosses to pass Eli Manning for ninth on the all-time leaderboard.

Cordarrelle Patterson, the former Vikings WR turned Falcons RB, is the first player in team history with at least five rushing and five-plus receiving touchdowns in a season. Patterson, 49ers WR Deebo Samuel and Chargers RB Austin Ekeler are the only three players in the NFL this season with such a combination.

LB Foyesade Oluokun ranks second in the NFL with a career-best 142 tackles, and LB Deion Jones is tied for 12th with 106 tackles.

QB Jimmy Garoppolo’s run of seven consecutive games with a passer rating of 90-plus is the longest active streak in the NFL.

Since Minnesota limited TE George Kittle to one catch for 13 yards in Week 12, he has recorded 22 catches for 332 yards and three touchdowns, becoming the first tight end all-time with 150-plus yards and at least one touchdown catch in consecutive games.

DL Nick Bosa leads the NFL with 18 tackles for loss and entered Week 15 tied for third with 14 sacks. He’s recorded at least 1.0 sack in each of the past five games and totaled 7.0 in that span.