LAKE FOREST, Ill. – The suspension of six players Tuesday for violating the NFL policy on steroids and related substances could help the Bears in their pursuit of the NFC North title.

The players suspended for the final four regular-season games without pay are Vikings defensive tackles Kevin Williams and Pat Williams; Saints running back Deuce McAllister and defensive ends Will Smith and Charles Grant; and Texans long-snapper Bryan Pittman.

The Vikings will have a gaping hole to fill without Kevin Williams (93) and Pat Williams (94) on the field.

The Bears (6-6) trail the first-place Vikings (7-5) by one game in the NFC North. Minnesota closes the season by visiting the Lions and Cardinals before hosting the Falcons and Giants.

Losing the “Williams Wall” figures to hurt the Vikings. The mammoth defensive tackles fuel a run defense that ranks second in the NFL, allowing just 73.1 yards per game. Minnesota’s final two opponents, the Falcons and Giants, are the league’s top-ranked rushing teams.

A victory Sunday in Detroit would assure the Vikings of winning the tiebreaker over the Bears, forcing Chicago to win two more games than Minnesota over the final four weeks of the season to capture the NFC North crown.

A Vikings loss to the Lions, however, would put the Bears back in control of their own destiny. Chicago could then clinch the tiebreaker over Minnesota with a win over the Packers Dec. 22 in Chicago due to a better division record.

After Sunday's home game against the Jaguars, the Bears will host a Saints team minus McAllister and Smith Thursday night at Soldier Field. Grant is already out for the season with a triceps injury.

The Bears will close the season in Houston against Pittman’s Texans on Dec. 28.

The six players specifically violated a longstanding provision of the policy relating to the use of diuretics and water pills, which serve as masking agents for steroids and are potentially dangerous to the health of players.

The policy states that the use of so-called “blocking” or “masking” agents, including diuretics and water pills, is prohibited and that a positive test will not be excused because it results from the use of a dietary supplement that unknowingly contained a banned substance. Supplements are not regulated or monitored by the government and players have been warned about the risks of supplement use.

“You and you alone are responsible for what goes into your body,” the policy has always stated. “Claiming that you used only legally available nutritional supplements will not help you in an appeal … Even if they are bought over-the-counter from a known establishment, there is currently no way to be sure that they contain the ingredients listed on the packaging or have not been tainted with prohibited substances … 

"If you take these products, you do so at your own risk. For your own health and success in the league, we strongly encourage you to avoid the use of supplements altogether, or at the very least to be extremely careful about what you choose to take.”

NFL.com contributed to this report.