The 106th matchup between one of the longest standing rivalries in football takes place as two teams heading in opposite directions in the NFC North square off this Sunday, at noon on CBS. The Minnesota Vikings who have won two in a row and are coming off a week of rest head to Solider field in hopes to kick the Bears while their down, as they come off one of the worst two game stretches in NFL history, and have now lost three games in a row.
It wasn’t suppose to be like this in year two under Bears head coach Mark Trestman. Reading from the script the plot line around the team from the Windy City was cheery and upbeat as Trestman was set to lead the Bears into another season full of flashy plays and high scoring games, with a slew of big profile names in the offensive huddle. While the Bears have seen big plays and plenty of points scored this year, the plot twist was brought in parallel to the film Benjamin Button where everything seems to be happening backwards.
In their past two games the Bears have allowed over 50 points in each contest, putting them in the elite category as the only team to do so since the Rochester Jeffersons (look it up) in 1923, not exactly the company fans hoped to be surrounded by. While the Bears defense was never intended to blow anyone away this season, what may be more disturbing is the inefficiencies of Jay Cutler and the offense. Cutler is tied for a league worse 15 giveaways while being sacked 23 times, while also struggling in the yardage and completion percentage departments.
That was the bad. The good news for Bears fans is history is on their side while playing at home for the first time in three games. While playing at Solider Field the Bears have beaten the Vikings 13 of their last 14 meetings, including winning every contest dating back to 2007. Things seem to just bounce the Bears way against the Vikings at home. Last season in a wild back-and-fourth game, the Bears won on a last second touchdown to tight end Martellus Bennett as time expired. In fact, the last time the Vikings won on the road against the Bears it took Adrian Peterson to run for 224 yards and three touchdowns, and that game still went into overtime.
However, plenty has changed for the Vikings since both those games, perhaps none more than the teams improved play on the defensive side of the ball, specifically in the secondary. Last year the Vikings got torched early and often by the Bears splashy receiving unit led by Alshon Jeffery and Brandon Marshall. The last matchup between the two teams ended with Jeffery inflating an enlarged stat line with 12 catches for 249 yards and two touchdowns (Chris Cook cough cough*), while Marshall and Bennett did plenty of damage themselves.
But since Mike Zimmer has taken over the Vikings have flipped the script that had them on the wrong end of broken records thanks to their defense. This year Zimmer has molded a defensive unit into more than respectability as the team has given up a mere 216 yards against the pass which ranks fourth in the league, 28 spots higher than where they finished last season (dead last).
While the weather has gotten chilly around the midwest, Zimmer has turned up the heat on his defense during their last four games allowing just 18 points as a team, after giving up an average of over 30 points in the games leading up to that point.
They also rank second in the NFL in total sacks with 30, led by Everson Griffen who leads the league as an individual with a total of nine. When it was decided that Jarred Allen would not be resigned the team put all their eggs in the Griffen basket paying him a lucrative contract for a player who had never started a full slate of games. While the signing and contract took plenty of flack from fans and writers, Griffen has lived up to the hype and has been worth every penny, while Allen has been nearly invisible for the Bears.
With no Adrian Peterson suiting up the team will rely on rookie Jerick McKinnon who has taken over the starting role from Matt Asiata. McKinnon has shown bursts and flashes of the explosion we saw coming out of college and has steadily improved every week. Since taking over the starting duties McKinnon has averaged nearly 5.0 yards per carry while tallying up 240 yards on the ground, and leads all rookies with a total of 446 yards.
In a game that will have a wintery feel with the weather in the 30s and snow and wind in the mix, both teams will rely on a run-first attack with McKinnon and Matt Forte, but when it truly counts, both quarterbacks will be called upon to lead their team to victory, something the Vikings should feel good about.
While he hasn’t lit the world on fire from a statistic standpoint, rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has commanded his team to come from behind victories in his last two games, brining his fourth-quarter comeback total up to three on the season. Most impressively in those three contests Bridgewater has not thrown an interception, something Norv Turner has praised him for.
Things You Need To Know
All signs are pointing to Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph returning to action since being sidelined with a hernia injury in week three against the Saints. Rudolph was primed to be a focal point in Norv Turner’s offense this season, and at times looked unstoppable in red zone during the preseason and training camp. While Bridgewater has found a good rapport with backup Chase Ford, one can only assume Rudolph will get Fords targets and more in his first game back.
While Jerick McKinnon has been the “starter” in the Vikings backfield if your looking at the situation from a fantasy standpoint then Matt Asiata is the name to not overlook. Since the end of last season Asiata is tied for second in rushing touchdowns with nine, and although they come in bunches (three games with three touchdowns) he is still a legitimate part of the Vikings rushing attack, specifically in the red zone and near the goal-line
The Vikings rank in the top-5 during the last four weeks with 20 team sacks, while having a total of just 30 all of last season.
Taking away his garbage time production (second-half stats) in the latest blowouts to the Patriots and Packers, Jay Cutler managed just one touchdown in his 14 first-half possessions (while his opponents scored a a total of 73 points).
While playing at home this year Chicago ranks 11th in rushing yards, something that will play a huge deciding factor in the games outcome.
For any gamblers out there, the “total points” have gone “under” in Minnesota’s last four of five contests on the road. With temps in the 30s with heavy winds and snow expect that to be the case again Sunday afternoon.