Vikings-Bears Preview Thread

[Rhodes Closed]

Howdy ho, fellas. Let's talk a little about the Bears and what the Vikings can do to overcome the "vaunted" one-man defense of Khalil Mack.

1.) Offensive Line - The offensive line is going to need to continue to show the progression is has hinted at the last two weeks if the Vikings offense is going to stand a chance; unlike the Packers and Lions, there are some good rushers and some great tacklers on the Bears defense. The first step is to work on negating their presence on the run and preventing the pass rush from getting to Kirk too often.

2.) Dalvin Cook - We may have to rely on Dalvin Cook quite a bit this game, and why not... He currently leads the league in points-- all points, kicking, rushing, receiving -- and is the leading rusher in most categories. I get the feeling the Bears defense will snap under the strain of attempting to contain Dalvin Cook. As it stands, the Bears defense is 14th in Rushing Yards Per Game, 6th in Rushing TDs Per Game (The Minnesota Vikings Defense is tied at #1 with SF, NO, ARI, and PITT), and 11th in Rushing First Downs Per Game. While the Bears defense did well against Derrick Henry, I believe Dalvin Cook is going to bring a whole new ball game to the defense and beat them down and drink the blood of his enemies.

3.) Thielen & Jefferson - Cousins is going to need to find these two men open on the field if he can survive the pass-rush long enough. The Front 7 of the Bears defense is great, but once you get further back, it becomes a little easier. Yes, Chicago has the #7 Passing defense, but that may have more to do with the ability of their rush than their defensive backs. I don't believe that Kirk has to ball out against the Bears, but I do believe he needs to play a decent part in pressing the attack. Minimize mistakes, and throw to your best receivers, or screens to Cook.

4.) Defense - The Vikings Defense is going to need to step up big here. Nick Foles is likely the starting QB and it's time we give him a little payback for 2017. I personally believe that this Vikings Front 7 is good enough to stuff the run against David Montgomery and Tarik Cohen. The real question is the passing defense. They'll need to continue to grow and show their stuff on the field if the Vikings have a chance at putting away the Matt Nagy bug for good and giving Kirk Cousins a quality QB win on national television.

5.) Special Teams - The punting unit is going to need to get *much* better real soon. Giving up two blocked punts in nearly back to back drives is unacceptable. The fact it was the Lions, who couldn't do crud with the gifts they were given, does not excuse the poor display. This is the Bears. They are a much better team than the Lions, by far. We are going to need to play tighter across the board on special teams to give the offense and defense something to work with.

With that, I believe the Vikings are going to... WIN the game, by a score of 34-20, Dalvin Cook breaks loose, goes for over 100 yards for the third game in a row, gets two rushing touchdowns, and Kirk Cousins throws his way to a solid 170 yard game with Jefferson/Thielen/Irv Smith Jr. getting two passing touchdowns. Comes down to Nick Foles trying to save the day for the Bears but DJ Wonnum sacks him for the win.

[psjordan]

Think it was John Heywood who said "Those who agree with us may not be right, but we admire their astuteness".

So from a cold, calculated place I'll agree we need Cook and the OL to, well, cook, and Cousins (and the D/ST) needs to have an unspectacular but error-free game.

But as Lee Corso would say, "not so fast my friend!!" (I must be in a quoting mood)

Just like the Bills passing the snot out of the ball against the Seahawks (the LAST thing Pete Carrol expected or prepared for, by his own admission) I can see our game plan being to come out throwing all over creation on the first drive. Maybe even start the game with the two-minute offense (that would be a Big and Bold move by Zim, so prolly not).

First play? Stacked I, Cousins under center. Ham-led play-action Cook left, Cousins rolls right to a TE drag route across the field. Welcome to nine yards on Monday Night Football Irv Smith Jr.

Understand I am not calling for passing galore, first drive or not. I'd like nothing better than to see 4-7+ yard runs all the way down the field on the first drive. I am saying I think "pass over run" is distinct possibility, at least to start the game. Certainly the Bears will be expecting a large dose of Dalvin right out of the gate, yes?

My feeling is that the game may well be decided in the first 2-3 possessions, and if we whiff badly on a bunch of 3-and-outs, whether running the ball or not, we could be on the TB side of the TB vs. NO situation from last weekend.

I really don't have a ton of faith that our coaching staff can fix an entire offensive gameplan on the fly during a game, so whatever the plan is, it had better work in the first three possessions.

I think this is a HUGE game in a lot of ways for this team, least of which is a check in the win column. I hope coaches and players pass the test and get the W.

It would be a ton of fun to see this team, particularly the young guys, get more confidence and start to gel when things get meaningful.

[RandyMoss84]

Bears are only 4 wins away from tying the series so Vikings will need to sweep the Bears

[VikingLord]

While there are always nuances to any matchup, this game is going to come down to the Bear front four against the Vikings front five when the Vikings have the ball.

Almost everything the Bears do defensively relies on the ability of their four down linemen to control the line of scrimmage. This allows their linebackers free reign to flow and make plays, which they do with alarming regularity. They do a great job of limiting lanes and closing down holes rapidly.

They can be beaten, of course, but this game is going to be the best litmus test of the progress of the Vikings offensive line. The Bears easily have the best defensive front 7 the Vikings are going to see the rest of this year. If they can control this group, or even turn it into a stalemate where they win as often as they lose up front, that will completely reset my opinion both on them and on the Vikings overall prospects for the remainder of the season.

Of course, Cook has to remain Cook, but barring some mysterious reversion or injury, I expect him to be effective.

As for Foles and the Bear offense, I'm not too worried about them. They've had their offensive line struggles too, only in their case their OL seems to be getting worse as the season wears on. Foles has looked light a deer caught in headlights a lot more than Cousins as of late, and Cousins seems to be gaining confidence as Cook heats up and the guys in front of him play more consistently and better. The Vikings defense remains a work in progress, but they've done a pretty good job of late as well.

The Vikings have the look of a team that is rounding the corner. They were pretty bad and pretty inconsistent to start the season, and while the Bears are far from the best competition out there, they are a team that would normally give the Vikings nightmares, especially away and especially on Monday Night. If the Vikings can go to Chicago and come out with a solid win, heck, even I might believe this team could compete yet this year.

[VikingPaul73]

I am surprised that the Vikings are actually favored in this game. Shocked really

I am as encouraged as anyone by the last 2 performances, especially the OL. But this Bear front 7 is a different animal, Zimmer and Cousins have been owned by the Bears, and even in good times the Vikings have struggled in Soldier Field

I get that the Bear O is awful. But although our D has improved, they are still not good and the secondary is so depleted I just can’t imagine Foles not being able to make some plays

I don’t think we will be dominated as we’ve been recently at SF, but if I were in Vegas I’d be taking the Bears and the points

[ERIK the PURPLE]

Chicago has always been a house of horrors for us even when the Bears sucked. We’ll need a balanced attack and hopefully we don’t keep running Dalvin up the gut straight into Mack like last year. I’m afraid Foles will pick us apart and for the life of me can’t understand how we are favored in Chicago. As a bettor, maybe I should “run to the smell” and take the Vikes minus the points. Anyway, not feeling optimistic: Bears 23, Vikes 16.

[J. Kapp 11]

Ever the optimist, I'm going with the Vikings in this one.

I just look at the way the two teams are trending. Chicago started 5-1, but even that was a mirage, as their offense has done nothing all year. Now they've lost 3 straight and are in disarray, especially on offense. Tennessee's defense is no better than ours, yet they obliterated the Bears' offense last week. Chicago's O-line is going the opposite direction as ours. It's falling apart, while ours is coming together. They have no playmakers outside of Allen Robinson, and the Vikings have proved the last two weeks that if they keep everything in front of them, they're OK against a single playmaker and a good quarterback. And we all know ... Nick Foles is no Aaron Rodgers or Matt Stafford.

Yes, the Bears' defense is stout. But our offense is clicking right now, and we're using a lot of misdirection in the running game — counter treys, split zones and other schematic things — that tend to offset physical D-lines. I like what Kubiak has done with the offense. It took awhile to start syncing, but without OTAs and no preseason, that's probably less of a surprise than it should have been.

Vikings by 7 ... if it's that close.

[Rhodes Closed]

Would just like to point out that the Bears front seven is going to likely miss Akiem Hicks, Danny Trevathan, Barkevious Mingo, Tashaun Gipson Jr., and John Jenkins, meaning it will likely be a matchup of Dalvin Cook and the offensive line vs. Khalil Mack and backups. I like those odds tremendously.

[VikingPaul73]

Would just like to point out that the Bears front seven is going to likely miss Akiem Hicks, Danny Trevathan, Barkevious Mingo, Tashaun Gipson Jr., and John Jenkins, meaning it will likely be a matchup of Dalvin Cook and the offensive line vs. Khalil Mack and backups. I like those odds tremendously.

Ah, thanks. I didn't realize that....this explains the odd Line.
I have mixed emotions on this...obviously it gives us a much better chance of winning, but I was really looking forward to a legit test for this OL

[Dmizzle0]

They've swept us for the last 2 years, I think its time for a change.

[J. Kapp 11]

Would just like to point out that the Bears front seven is going to likely miss Akiem Hicks, Danny Trevathan, Barkevious Mingo, Tashaun Gipson Jr., and John Jenkins, meaning it will likely be a matchup of Dalvin Cook and the offensive line vs. Khalil Mack and backups. I like those odds tremendously.

Ah, thanks. I didn't realize that....this explains the odd Line.
I have mixed emotions on this...obviously it gives us a much better chance of winning, but I was really looking forward to a legit test for this OL

I couldn't care less who they're missing. Injuries are part of the game. We're without a few guys, too.

[VikingLord]

Would just like to point out that the Bears front seven is going to likely miss Akiem Hicks, Danny Trevathan, Barkevious Mingo, Tashaun Gipson Jr., and John Jenkins, meaning it will likely be a matchup of Dalvin Cook and the offensive line vs. Khalil Mack and backups. I like those odds tremendously.

I didn't realize the Bears were so depleted on defense.

That improves the odds, but I still am not sold on the Vikings OL. Another strong showing from them (and from the Vikings offense generally) probably won't boost my hopes as high as it otherwise would if the Bears came to the fight with a fully loaded defense, but I'll still be much more optimistic than I was.

[S197]

The Bears have been this team’s kryptonite for two years straight. They beat us with backups and I’m afraid they’ll do it again. Cook gaining 200 yards per game is not sustainable.

[J. Kapp 11]

Would just like to point out that the Bears front seven is going to likely miss Akiem Hicks, Danny Trevathan, Barkevious Mingo, Tashaun Gipson Jr., and John Jenkins, meaning it will likely be a matchup of Dalvin Cook and the offensive line vs. Khalil Mack and backups. I like those odds tremendously.

Just checked the injury report.

Hicks and Trevathan were full participants in practice Friday.

Mingo and Gipson were limited participants. Jenkins did not participate.

So at least two of the five you mentioned will be playing, with two more possible.

Meanwhile. C.J. Ham was a limited participant for the Vikings. That's a concern. Irv Smith was limited as well, but it's apparently not injury related.

[psjordan]

Let's hope this does not go well:

Nagy hands off play calling:
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/303 ... bill-lazor