his rehab assignment with Charlotte on Sunday following a day off on Saturday. … RHP Miguel Gonzalez (rotator cuff inflammation) threw 25 pitches off the mound in his most rigorous workout since going on the DL in April.

EAGAN Will Grier Jersey , Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings have reached the final week of the regular season with a spot in the playoffs still unsecured and a surging division rival boasting one of the NFL’s best defenses on the schedule.This is the type of game, then, for Kirk Cousins to make good on that $84 million in guaranteed money. The NFC North champion Chicago Bears will pose a stiff challenge, as the Vikings are well aware from their previous matchup last month.“There will always be excitement, nerves, anxiety, butterflies, whatever you want to call it. That will always be there. This matters to me,” Cousins said when asked about his ability to manage his emotions in high-stakes games. “I joke with people that when the math teacher junior year of high school said, ‘Hey, we’ve got a pop quiz,’ you start to feel the butterflies. Because you want to do well. It matters to you. Frankly http://www.carolinapanthersteamonline.com/christian-miller-jersey , I think when I have butterflies, I play a little better because it heightens your awareness and your attention to detail and your sense of urgency.”With Khalil Mack bringing a relentless pass rush from the edge, Akiem Hicks blowing up running plays in the middle, and Kyle Fuller leading the clampdown in the secondary, the Bears made the first three quarters of that game on Nov. 18 miserable for Cousins and the offense . The Vikings had only 77 total yards in the first half, lost a fumble and didn’t score until the last play of the third quarter. Cousins took two 8-yard sacks and threw two interceptions, one returned for a touchdown.The Vikings rallied late in the 25-20 loss“This is not a defense that we’re going against that teams are putting 50 points up against, or having 500 yards of offense, and that may not be the game that’s required to win,” Cousins said. “If our defense and special teams play really well, who knows? Offensively, if we don’t have the most dynamic day but we come out with a win Jordan Scarlett Jersey , then that’s what we do.”The Bears (11-4) are assured of at least the No. 3 seed, with the chance to move up and get a first-round bye with a victory over the Vikings (8-6-1) and a loss by the Los Angeles Rams at home to the San Francisco 49ers. With a win, the Vikings will return to the playoffs and set up a likely rematch with the Bears next week in the wild-card round. If they lose, they would need the Philadelphia Eagles to lose at Washington to keep their postseason spot.“We’ve got a lot of guys who have a lot of pride and character, so I think they’ll be ready for the challenge,” coach Mike Zimmer said, “and it will be a great challenge. We’ll obviously need the home fans there and nice and loud for us, but I feel good about it.”Cousins has had his share of shaky performances in his first year in Minnesota, where he’s signed through 2020. The Bears prompted one of those, but he bounced back the following week to beat the Packers with one of his best games of the season. That’s the kind of resilience Cousins has relied on throughout his career and that the Vikings have exhibited in five years under Zimmer.“It’s not just necessarily with the quarterback,” Zimmer said. “It’s with your whole football team, that you have that kind of mentality that we’re going to fight through this little bit of struggle that we’re having right now and get back to work and good things are going to happen if we keep fighting.” Nicholas Castellanos busted out of his slump in a big way.

Castellanos homered twice and Jose Iglesias hit a tiebreaking RBI single in Detroit’s two-run eighth Greedy Williams Jersey , helping the Tigers beat the Chicago White Sox 7-5 on Saturday for their fourth straight win.

Castellanos hit a three-run drive in the third and a two-run shot in the fifth. It was his first multihomer game since Aug. 22 against the Yankees and fourth of his career.

The slugger went 1 for 21 with eight strikeouts in his previous five games.

”The ball jumped out of the ballpark,” Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire said. ”He hit one opposite. He can do that. When he starts getting away from that, starts pulling too much, he can struggle. Him going the other way is a good sign that he’s gonna be able to drive the ball both ways.”

The Tigers blew a 5-0 lead but recovered in time to improve to 7-1 against the White Sox this season. Buck Farmer (3-3) pitched a scoreless inning for the win.

Charlie Tilson drove in two runs for Chicago, which has dropped three in a row. Kevan Smith had two hits and scored a run.

Tilson hit a two-run single off Jordan Zimmermann in the fifth and Jose Abreu tied it at 5 with a sacrifice fly in the sixth, but the Tigers went ahead to stay in the eighth.

Victor Martinez sparked the winning rally with a leadoff single against Jace Fry (0-1). Bruce Rondon then came in and walked John Hicks. JaCoby Jones popped up a bunt and Rondon dove for the ball, but it trickled out of his glove to load the bases.

With the infield playing in, Iglesias hit a dribbler up the middle that bounced off second baseman Yoan Moncada’s glove for a run-scoring infield hit. Rondon then threw four straight balls to Niko Goodrum, forcing in another run.

”Bruce ran into a little trouble,” Chicago manager Rick Renteria said. ”Great diving attempt on the catch and it came out of his glove onto the ground, causing a fumble.”

Shane Greene worked the ninth for his 19th save and fourth in four days.

Lucas Giolito pitched 5 1/3 innings for Chicago, allowing five runs and six hits. The right-hander is just 1-3 in his last five starts.

”Two bad pitches to a really good hitter kind of did me in for the game right there http://www.ravensfootballauthentics.com/justice-hill-jersey-authentic ,” Giolito said. ”I’ve just gotta kinda lock in a little bit more.”

Zimmermann was charged with four runs and four hits in five innings in his first start after missing six weeks with a right shoulder impingement. He retired his first 12 batters before the White Sox broke through in the fifth.

”I got a little out of whack in the stretch,” Zimmermann said. ”It was the first time all game I was there. They started swinging early, too, and we just didn’t make the adjustments quite quick enough.”

ROSTER MOVES

To make room for Zimmermann on the active roster, right-hander Artie Lewicki was optioned to Triple-A Toledo.

AMERICAN DREAM

Iglesias arrived late for the opener on Friday because he was sworn in as a naturalized U.S. citizen earlier in the day in Detroit. The 28-year-old infielder was born in Cuba and signed as an amateur free agent with the Boston Red Sox in 2009.

”Yesterday I got in about 5 or 5:30, all the way from Detroit,” Iglesias said. ”But it was worth it.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Tigers: LHP Francisco Liriano (right hamstring strain) is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Toledo on Sunday.

White Sox: OF Leury Garcia (left knee sprain) was scheduled to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Charlotte on Saturday night. … OF Avisail Garcia (right hamstring strain) will continue his rehab assignment with Charlotte on Sunday following a day off on Saturday. … RHP Miguel Gonzalez (rotator cuff inflammation) threw 25 pitches off the mound in his most rigorous workout since going on the DL in April.

UP NEXT

LHP Blaine Hardy (2-1, 3.55 ERA) takes the mound as the Tigers go for the sweep on Sunday. Hardy has allowed two runs or less in five of his six starts. James Shields (2-7, 4.63 ERA) goes for the White Sox.