The Chicago Bears (2-2) travel to Minneapolis to take on the Minnesota Vikings (3-1) at 1:00 pm (EST) at U.S Bank Stadium. The Vikings are a -7.5 favorite and are given a 76.6% chance to win according to ESPN’s FPI. The Bears are coming off a 20-12 road loss to the New York Giants (3-1) while Minnesota won a thriller over the Saints (1-3) 28-25 in London.
This is a critical game for both teams. For the Bears it’s a chance for them to get a quality win and to be 3-2 on the year and 1-1 in divisional play. A loss would drop them to 2-3 and 0-2 against division opponents. On the other side, a win for the Vikings would be huge. It would mean they have swept their division at home this year with a 4-1 record on the year. A loss drops them to 3-2 with a 2-1 record against the division. With that let’s take a look at what you can expect from Chicago vs. Minnesota on Sunday.
Minnesota
The Minnesota Vikings are coming back from London to play the Bears Sunday. Minnesota enters a portion of their schedule that could see them be 7-1 in five weeks. They kick it off with Chicago Sunday in a game that if they win, could give them a huge edge in the division race. The Vikings will look to their offense who found some much needed consistency last week scoring on eight out of their 11 possessions.
The Vikings this season have averaged 359 yards per game (261 passing and 98 rushing). Last week the Vikings had 344 yards of total offense and look to continue their success against the Bears. The defense on the other hand has struggled giving up 407.5 yards per game (276.5 passing and 131 rushing). Last week the Vikings allowed 338 total yards (227 passing and 111 rushing). The Vikings defense can’t struggle, not because Chicago is that good, but if they can’t look good against the Bears of all teams, it will only get worse from here on out.
What To Watch
What I am watching in this game is Minnesota’s running attack. The Bears are the worst team in defending the run in the league, allowing 183.3 yards per game. Last week against the Saints the Vikings rushed for 81 yards and average 98 per game. Dalvin Cook leads the Vikings with 279 yards on 63 carries and a touchdown this season. Back-up Alexander Mattison has 75 yards on 20 carries and one touchdown. These two haven’t had big games and they’ll need to if they want to beat the Bears. If they can take advantage of a bad Bear’s run defense it could lead the way to getting the passing game involved against a Chicago defense that holds teams to just 181.3 yards a game.
Biggest Question
My biggest question is, can the defense step it up? The Vikings defense has been hit or miss, and can be argued that it is quarterly. You don’t know what defense will show up. Is it the one that gave up 24 points to the Eagles in the first half, or the one that shutout opponents in the fourth quarter through the first three weeks? You seriously don’t know, they’re that inconsistent. The Vikings defense has allowed 407.5 yards per game with 276.5 passing and 131 rushing. Thankfully for the Vikings they give up a lot of yards and not a ton of points holding teams to 20 points a game. It also helps to have an offense that scores 21.5, just enough to get you a win. It will be up to the defense to hold a Bears offense that doesn’t even average 300 yards per game in check, otherwise this will really be an issue.
Injuries
The Vikings have three players on their injured list.
Questionable
- Andrew Booth Jr. (CB) – Quadriceps
- Za’Darius Smith (LB) – Knee
Out
- Blake Proehl (WR) – Knee
Injured Reserve
- Lewis Cine (S) – Leg
Blake Proehl returned from the PUP list and was at practice on Wednesday. Lewis Cine suffered a leg fracture that required season ending surgery in the Vikings win over the Saints. He was placed on the injured reserve on Tuesday. Andrew Booth Jr. and Za’Darius Smith were both limited participation at Thursday’s practice.
Chicago
The Chicago Bears are coming off a 20-12 loss to the Giants. Chicago is 2-2 on the year with their losses to the Packers and Giants who are a combined 6-2. The Bears have struggled putting points on the board averaging 16 a game, but they have held their opponents to 19.3. The Bears will look to their offense to score and keep them in the game against a Vikings defense that has had issues so far this season. The offense for the Bears will be the key as their defense has struggled, especially in the run game. If the Bears can’t stop Dalvin Cook and Co. it could spell big trouble for them.
What To Watch
What I will be watching is how the Bears offense does against a struggling Vikings defense. The Vikings give up over 400 yards per game and are wildly inconsistent game-to-game. The Bears average 295 yards per game with 117.8 yards passing and 177.3 rushing. They have not been the most productive offensively. Justin Fields has 471 yards, two touchdowns and four interceptions and running back Khalil Herbert has 317 yards and three touchdowns. The stars for the Bears haven’t been great, but this is a new playbook, and it takes time to learn it. Unfortunately, for Chicago they are four weeks in and haven’t seen much of an offensive improvement. This will be a huge opportunity for the offensive to prove it is starting to figure things out against a Jekyll and Hyde defense.
Biggest Question
The biggest question I have for the Bears is, can they stop the run? They have allowed 183.3 yards per game this season. Each game this year they have allowed 176 (49ers), 203 (Packers), 92 (Texans), and 262 (Giants). This is a serious concern. The biggest threat to the Bears this week is the fact that if the Vikings establish their running game, it could open it up to one of the league’s most dangerous receiving corps. If the Vikings can start passing, paired with a strong running game it will be over before it begins. The Bears must get their run defense in check otherwise they’ll drop to 2-3 with an 0-2 record in the division, something they don’t want to have happen.
Injuries
The Chicago Bears have eight players on their injured list.
Questionable:
- David Montgomery (RB) – Ankle
- Jaylon Johnson (CB) – Quadriceps
- Ryan Griffin (TE) – Achilles
- Dane Cruikshank (CB) – N/A
- Matthew Adams (LB) – N/A
Injured Reserve:
- Cody Whitehair (C) – Knee
- N’Keal Harry (WR) – Ankle
The Bears placed center Cody Whitehair on the IR with a knee injury on Wednesday. N’Keal Harry was designated to return from the IR on Wednesday. The Bears now have a three-week period to activate him to the 53-man roster. Harry underwent tightrope surgery back in August and was said to be out eight weeks, which is now. It is possible for Harry to be activated for Sunday’s game against the Vikings, but any word on this has yet to be said. Montgomery and Griffin were limited participant at practice on Thursday. Jaylon Johnson did not practice Thursday. Cruikshank and Adams are both questionable and did not have their injuries listed.
Bold Prediction
My bold prediction for the game is that Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison will combine for 250 yards and three touchdowns. Now many of you might be thinking wait, but the Bear’s run defense is bad, but the Vikings don’t even average 100 yards per game running the ball. Cook and Mattison will lead the way for the Vikings on Sunday, as the Bears won’t be able to stop the talented duo. Minnesota will get the much needed boost from the running game, giving the passing game the week off.
Betting
The following betting lines are according to ESPN’s Pick Center.
Spread:
- Chicago: +7.5
- Minnesota: -7.5
Moneyline:
- Chicago: +275
- Minnesota: -355
Over/Under: 44
Where To Watch
Chicago vs. Minnesota will air on FOX at 1:00 pm (EST). The commentators for the game will be Adam Amin (play-by-play), Mark Schlereth (analyst), and Kristina Pink (sideline). You can watch the game on the Fox Sports app or on FoxSports.com. The game will also be on NFL Sunday Ticket (Directv). Streaming services that have Fox are fubo TV, Hulu (with live TV), Sling TV, and Youtube TV.
Prediction
Unfortunately, for the Bears this game won’t be close. Their defensive struggles will continue in the run game. Dalvin Cook and Co. will run all over the Bear’s defense. Chicago offense will score a little on a Vikings defense that has struggled this season, but Minnesota will wear the Bears’ defense down. In the end Minnesota will be too much for Chicago. Minnesota wins 31-17