The Packers play Chicago tonight in a nationally televised "Monday Night Football" matchup. Outside of the built-in fan bases of both teams, the game at Soldier Field is guaranteed to attract huge ratings amongst degenerate gamblers, desperate fantasy football owners, Tony Kornheiser lovers and haters, Hawaii residents fascinated by frigid weather and one other specialized demographic:

Minnesota Vikings fans.

After watching their team dump a game Sunday against Atlanta, Vikings fans are in the unusual position of rooting for the Packers. If the Bears win, they and Minnesota will enter the final week of the regular season with 9-6 records. Minnesota owns the tiebreaker because of a better record against common opponents. The Bears have a slim chance of winning the wild card, but need to win out and have the Cowboys and Buccaneers lose their last games vs. Philadelphia and Oakland, respectively.

While the Bears have plenty at stake, the Packers have little to play for, other than pride.

Here are some things to watch in the game:

Revenge factor: Green Bay pounded Chicago, 37-3, on Nov. 16 at Lambeau Field. The Packers out-gained the Bears, 427-234, and racked up a 15-minute edge in time of possession.

It was Chicago's worst loss to its rival in 14 years and nobody on the home side has forgotten.

History lesson: The Bears lead the all-time series, 89-80-6. Chicago swept Green Bay last year, including a frigid 35-7 romp in Week 16 at Soldier Field. Lovie Smith, who made beating Green Bay a top priority in his first day on the job, is 6-3 against the Packers and 3-2 against head coach Mike McCarthy.

Defenseless: The Packers have allowed an average of 32.5 points per game during an 0-4 stretch that torpedoed their season. The defense, which ranks 24th in the league, really hasn't played well since the victory over the Bears, who couldn't get their running game untracked and struggled against the Packers' use of the nickel package (two linebackers, five defensive backs).

Chicago quarterback Kyle Orton couldn't get the ball to tight end Greg Olsen in that game, and the Packers would love to repeat that performance. With little pass rush and a porous secondary, the odds aren't in their favor.

Once a strength of the defense, the secondary has allowed mediocre receivers (Dennis Northcutt) to pile up big numbers. That can't happen tonight.

In the spotlight: If you look solely at the won-lost record, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers' first season as a starter has been a disappointment. Rodgers' other numbers have been solid, though. He's passed for 3,470 yards. His passer rating is 91.8. His completion percentage is 63.5 and he's thrown 23 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

The only thing lacking on his resume -- a come-from-behind victory.

Ryan Grant, who surpassed the 1,000-yard mark, was terrific against Chicago last month (25 carries, 145 yards) but has been inconsistent for much of the season. The Packers need him to have a big game to limit the pressure on Rodgers.

Weather report: Brett Favre's struggles in cold weather are well-documented. Rodgers is relatively untested on tundra. When the weather is cold, as it is expected to be tonight, an early lead can be critical.

The cold weather could wreak havoc on the kicking game, too. New Packers punter Jeremy Kapinos could play a role in the battle for field position and Mason Crosby and Robbie Gould might end up in the spotlight as well.