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As part of Best of the NFL Week on ESPN.com, here are six bests for the NFC North:

Best mascot, Ragnar: Every now and then, a kid feels compelled to tug the beard of the "Santa Claus" sitting atop his chair at the local mall. I imagine the same urge strikes some football fans when they encounter Ragnar, the real-life Viking who serves as the Minnesota Vikings' game-day mascot. Joseph Juranitch has a real beard and has his own Viking-style life history to share. You might be surprised that he was born in the middle of Packers territory (Milwaukee), but you probably wouldn't be shocked to know he claims to hold the world record for shaving a beard with an axe (8 minutes, 43 seconds).

Best team facility, Allen Park: It might be cool to show up for work every week at Lambeau Field, but the Detroit Lions' Allen Park facility is a sparkling and first-class building with most every amenity imaginable. (And I'm not just saying that because the press room includes a stocked kitchenette.) Opened in 2002 at the price of $36 million, it is smartly organized and features a cool two-story hallway that separates the locker room from the weight room. For those interested, it was also ahead of its time in terms of renewable resources, including bamboo floors in the lobby and rubber floors elsewhere.

Best throwback uniforms to hate, Packers: Throwback jerseys generally get the benefit of the doubt, but I don't think I'm alone in hoping that the Packers never, ever, never, ever, never wear the 1929 uniforms they threw on for last season's game against the San Francisco 49ers. Brown pants, a different shade of brown helmets, along with blue jerseys and numbers centered in a circle on the front aren't my idea of a good time. Occasionally, progress is a good thing.

Best non-meddling owner: I've been critical of Vikings owner Zygi Wilf's communication skills, but I would have to imagine he's among the top five owners in the NFL to work for. Since buying the team in 2005, Wilf has given his football people almost everything they've asked him for. He has busted his player payroll budget on a number of occasions, going back to his minority investors to ask for cash infusions, and to my knowledge has never imposed his personal views on a football decision. Wilf is involved but doesn't meddle, the best combination imaginable.

Best training camp site, Green Bay Packers: Most people imagine ideal NFL training camps in a small college town away from the hustle and bustle of the team's big-city roots. The Packers have all that and more at their year-round facility surrounding Lambeau Field. (Players live in dormitories at nearby St. Norbert College.) Players face a long walk from the locker room to their practice field, so the tradition of kids lending out their bicycles and carrying helmets lives on. The ensuing scramble is one of the NFL's most endearing training camp scenes. The Packers have upgraded their facility to include bleachers and concessions, eliminating the need for fans to stand on a sidewalk outside a chain-link fence, but the Packers' training camp remains the most unique of experiences.

Best rivalry, Packers-Bears: A few years ago, I got in trouble for suggesting that the Packers-Vikings rivalry had surpassed Packers-Bears in intensity in recent years. I still think there was more animosity between the actual teams during the Mike Tice/Brad Childress and Mike Sherman/Mike McCarthy eras. But from a fan standpoint, which is really all that matters, there is no substituting Packers-Bears. We found that out last January in the weeks leading up to the Epicenter of Humanity, aka the NFC Championship Game.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Greetings from the Metrodome press box, where things got off to a hectic start but just took a fun turn.

As we noted earlier, it already appears evident that Minnesota receiver Percy Harvin won’t play against Cincinnati because of migraine headaches. One receiver who will play, however, is the Bengals' Chad Ochocinco, who has already found and “confronted” Minnesota mascot Ragnar.

As you might remember, Ochocinco said earlier this week that he wanted to steal Ragnar’s Viking horn and motorcycle when and if he scores in this game. Ragnar responded with a challenge of his own. At about 10:15 a.m. ET on Sunday morning -- almost three hours before kickoff -- a few of us noticed Johnson checking out the “Gjallarhorn” on the Vikings’ sideline.

A moment or two later, Ragnar came out of a tunnel good-naturedly gesturing toward Ochocinco. The two men hugged, spoke for a minute and then parted ways. I tried to take a picture with my cell phone, but apparently cell phone cameras aren’t good from 200 yards away.

I’m told by reliable sources that the Gjallarhorn will be locked up during the game. Ragnar? It appears that he’s ready to participate in any skit Ochocinco might have cooked up. Stay tuned.

» NFC Final Word: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Five nuggets of knowledge about Week 14:

First things first. Somebody is going to be pretty happy Sunday at about 4:30 p.m. ET. Minnesota’s matchup with Cincinnati carries significant playoff implications for both teams. The Vikings can clinch a playoff berth with a victory (or a tie, if the New York Giants lose to Philadelphia). They can clinch the NFC North with a victory and a Green Bay loss at Chicago. The Bengals face a similar opportunity. They will clinch the AFC North with a victory (or a tie, if Baltimore loses or ties Detroit). The Bengals can also win the division even with a loss if the Ravens are upset by Detroit. We’ll keep you updated.

There are plenty of subplots to the Vikings-Bengals game, not the least of which is the expected brawl between Cincinnati receiver Chad Ochocinco and Minnesota mascot Ragnar. But as Steve Wyche of the NFL Network pointed out earlier this week, this game will feature defensive coordinators whose names could be in circulation for head-coaching jobs this offseason. Minnesota’s Leslie Frazier has interviewed for five jobs in the past two years and has the NFL’s eighth-ranked defense. Cincinnati’s Mike Zimmer has molded the Bengals into a hard-hitting group that ranks No. 4 overall, all while grieving the death of his wife.

One of the NFL’s leading interception throwers will take the field Sunday against the league’s second-best takeaway defense. Somethin’s got to give. Or something like that. No quarterback has thrown more interceptions than Chicago’s Jay Cutler (20). And the only team that has intercepted more passes than Green Bay (21) is New Orleans (23). If their game plan is anything like what they used last week against St. Louis, the Bears won’t give Cutler enough passing opportunities to throw a full complement of interceptions. The Packers have been stout against the run, but injuries to their top four defensive linemen might convince the Bears to pound the ball on the ground.

Chicago was the first team to expose Green Bay’s pass protection problems, coming in the teams’ first meeting Sept. 13. Defensive end Adewale Ogunleye mauled right tackle Allen Barbre for much of the night, and the Bears sacked quarterback Aaron Rodgers four times. But the Packers have made several recent adjustments to mitigate those problems, emphasizing shorter drops and replacing Barbre with Mark Tauscher. Rodgers was sacked 37 times in the Packers' first eight games but only eight times over the past four. The Bears will do their best to make life difficult for Rodgers, but the Packers should be better equipped this time around.

It’s not the ideal setting, but Detroit quarterback Daunte Culpepper will get a chance to put a full December game on film for scouts and personnel executives who will be looking at veteran quarterbacks this offseason. We’re assuming Culpepper won’t be back in Detroit next season, and it’s possible that starter Matthew Stafford (shoulder) will return to the starting lineup as early as next week. A strong game on the road, against a Baltimore team battling for a playoff spot, could put Culpepper back on the free-agent radar. Given the state of quarterbacking in the NFL, it’s reasonable to think Culpepper could spark some interest from teams looking for depth.

Cincinnati receiver Chad Ochocinco said Wednesday he might steal the motorcycle of Minnesota’s game-day mascot, Ragnar, if he scores a touchdown in Sunday’s game at the Metrodome. Ragnar himself had a playful (I think) response when contacted by the Star Tribune’s Mark Craig.

"He might want to think twice about taking my bike," said Ragnar, whose real name is Joe Juranitch. "I poop things bigger than him."

If Ochocinco wants to steal a motorcycle, horn or anything else, he is in for a fight. Said Ragnar: "Let's see if he's man enough to come and get it."

I think I’m going to have to bone up on boxing terms. Or maybe just MMA.

"MMA?" Ragnar asked. "Tell him I dare him to spell that. And you can also tell him that after Sunday, he'll be changing his name again to Ocho Stinko."

Oh boy.

Look out Ragnar (or maybe Viktor): Cincinnati receiver Chad Ochocinco is coming after you Sunday at the Metrodome.

I missed this Tuesday during the trip back to NFC North headquarters, but here is what Ochocinco told ESPN’s Adam Schefter via Twitter:

"Adam this Sunday when I score I'm taking that loud horn from the Viking mascot and using it<--is that a fine to?"

I’ve never actually seen Viktor or Ragnar carrying a horn. Like many other parts of the Metrodome experience, the horn you hear during games is artificially generated. But I’m sure Ochocinco has already thought of that. The NFL, by the way, fined Ochocinco $30,000 for donning a sombrero during a Dec. 6 game against Detroit.