Going into Monday Night Football in Week 12, we have the Chicago Bears facing the Minnesota Vikings at home. Justin Fields has another chance to prove himself and to keep Minnesota a step away from the last NFC playoff seed. Let’s jump into the injury report and see how it affects tonight’s matchup.
Bears @ Vikings
Chicago Bears Injury Report:
D’Onta Foreman: Ankle and shin injuries will keep Chicago’s most productive running back sidelined. He’s often been the focal point of an offense that is run-based. With Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson now splitting RB1 snaps against one of the better run defenses, expect Chicago to struggle to establish the run.
Larry Borom: Chicago will likely be without their swing tackle, Larry Borom, this week. He’s seen significant action this season with the injuries to Chicago’s offensive line and has played average to below average when given the chance. If one of Chicago’s starting tackles gets hurt, they’ll be in major trouble with the lack of depth they have.
Tyrique Stevenson: While not officially ruled out, it seems like the Bears will be missing their no. 2 outside corner while he recovers from an ankle injury. It looks like backup Terrell Smith will take Stevenson’s place in the lineup. Smith has played well at times but has struggled in coverage at times. With Justin Jefferson likely out, Smith will be responsible for K.J. Osborn, who has shown flashes at times. Expect Osborn to have a decent game and cover his receiving props.
Minnesota Vikings’ injury report:
Justin Jefferson: While also not officially ruled out, Jefferson was limited in practice and likely won’t play due to the hamstring injury he suffered weeks ago. Josh Dobbs has been able to make do without him, but he would be a huge boost for the offense. Assuming he doesn’t play tonight, expect a larger target share for Jordan Addison, K.J. Osborn, and T.J. Hockensen. All should receive plenty of targets.
Analysis
Overall, this is a light week for injuries. This Bears team has gone through it with injuries, but it seems to be slowing down. Even with Tyrique Stevenson, the secondary is healthier than usual. Both safeties, Eddie Jackson and Jaquan Brisker, are back to playing together. This should keep Minnesota’s offense from taking a lot of shots downfield. Tremaine Edmunds is also back in the lineup after missing last week with a lower-body injury. With the Bears’ linebacking core up to full strength, you can expect them to stop the run at an effective enough rate to win the game.
On the Vikings side, they aren’t missing anyone notable besides Justin Jefferson. Thankfully, there’s still a full arsenal of weapons outside of Jefferson that quarterback Josh Dobbs will have to do with. With how shaky the Bears’ defense has looked (Especially last week against the Lions), we should see the Vikings’ offense continue to keep rolling. Defensively, they are relatively healthy, besides missing some depth at defensive tackle and edge rusher. Even without the likes of Marcus Davenport, James Lynch, and Dean Lowry, they should be able to find the weak spots in Chicago’s below-average offensive line.
This concludes the Week 12 injury report. All notable injuries are listed; be sure to check nfl.com/injuries for more updates. Come back to my author profile before every primetime game and Sunday for a complete list of injuries and how they impact your team.