Following up on a previous item. ... According to Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, running backs Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison were on the field Thursday when the Vikings began their work.

As Profootballtalk.com notes, the Vikings are locked into the sixth seed in the NFC playoffs regardless of result this week, so there’s no real reason to play anyone against the Bears who isn’t 100 percent.

Cook missed last week’s loss to the Packers with a shoulder injury, while Mattison has missed the last two games with an ankle.

I'll continue to follow up.