Bears game Dec. 20

[J. Kapp 11]

Thought I’d start off the week with news I know everybody will be excited about.

From the Pioneer Press:

The Vikings released kicker Tristan Vizcaino off the practice squad, making it most likely that Bailey will be their kicker in Sunday’s game against Chicago at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Looks like we get another week of holding our breath and 2-point conversions.

[RandyMoss84]

Thought I’d start off the week with news I know everybody will be excited about.

From the Pioneer Press:

The Vikings released kicker Tristan Vizcaino off the practice squad, making it most likely that Bailey will be their kicker in Sunday’s game against Chicago at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Looks like we get another week of holding our breath and 2-point conversions.

I am not surprised, I expected it anyway, Bailey will be cut after the season and Vikings will draft a kicker next year

[VikingLord]

This is going to be a great game for Cook and the offense to get untracked after that first game against the Bears. When Hicks was in for Chicago the Vikings just couldn't get out of the blocks on the ground, but after watching the film and hopefully making some adjustments I expect to see the Vikings be much more effective running, especially after watching them dismantle the Tampa run defense. If I can say anything about what the Vikings really need from their ground game this Sunday, it is for Cook to stop tripping himself up and stay on his feet, because he's leaving some big runs on the table. He did it a few times against the Bucs this last Sunday where I thought he'd have a shot at the endzone had he not tripped himself up.

The other key against the Bears is going to be for Cousins and the Vikes to take the top off the Bear defense. The Bears don't bring their safeties down all that much as they do a decent job getting disruption and pressure with their front 7, and in that sense they resemble the Bucs in terms of how they can play against the pass. Cousins played it safe and smart for the most part against the Bucs as a result, and while that was effective, I think the Vikings have to try to get a few deep shots in. Heck, if the Bears want to keep their safeties deep and help over the top against Thielen and JJ, why not run Irv Smith up the seam and try to find him downfield? He's fast enough to get open on a deep route. They just need to try it a few times. Chicago doesn't blitz that much. If the OL shows it can hold up against the pass rush, see if there are a few big plays to be found down the field.

Defensively, the Vikings better watch the film of what the Bears did against the Texans. While the Texans seem to have mailed it in this season, the Bears looked invigorated. Best not sit back and let them get some wind in their sails in this one. I'm still not worried about the Bear offense overall, but I think the Vikings should be aggressive on defense and see if they can force the Bears into a couple of mistakes. Same fundamental formula is going to be necessary in this one - limit the run on 1st and 2nd down, then get after Trubisky on 3rd downs. Keep Trubisky from running. He's going to find his way out of the pocket a few times, but don't let him extend drives with his legs.

For the special teams, they have to have hit rock bottom at this point. All facets of the special teams have to take a deep breath and start performing. If they want to kick it away from Patterson, kick it away or boot it along the ground or do whatever you have to if you're worried about him returning it. Punt coverage, punting, punt return, field goals, etc, just have to do their jobs. Mentally, they have to put the last few weeks behind them and just take the step of this next game. This is an area where coaching is critical and the coaches must step up at this point and put together a complete game.

And lastly, I hope the refs stay out of this one after that debacle and embarrassment of a game they called against the Bucs. Call obvious stuff, but call it consistent and fair, and don't interject yourselves into plays that essentially hand the other team free points unless the foul is egregious and obvious. Hopefully the Bears won't have a shot at a hail mary, but if they do, barring a Viking player literally tackling a Bear receiver before the ball gets there, the refs need to stay out of it.

[S197]

Mattison and Ham were both practicing again but Kendricks and Rudolph are still out.

Mack didn’t practice today but they could be resting him, which is what they appear to be doing with Hicks.

[VikingPaul73]

If Vikes can win this one, they have a very good chance of finishing 8-8 and sneaking into the playoffs. Vikes would have tiebreaker against AZ if they finish 8-8 (they play Eagles, SF, Rams)

I have no delusions of a deep playoff run.....but imagine traveling to either Lambeau or NO (very likely 1 of these 2 will be the #1 seed) in the wild card round and stealing a win!!!! From a 1-5 start to beating the Packers in the playoffs.....how SWEET it would be

[VikeFanInEagleLand]

If Vikes can win this one, they have a very good chance of finishing 8-8 and sneaking into the playoffs. Vikes would have tiebreaker against AZ if they finish 8-8 (they play Eagles, SF, Rams)

I have no delusions of a deep playoff run.....but imagine traveling to either Lambeau or NO (very likely 1 of these 2 will be the #1 seed) in the wild card round and stealing a win!!!! From a 1-5 start to beating the Packers in the playoffs.....how SWEET it would be

If Vikes can win this one, they have a very good chance of finishing 8-8 and sneaking into the playoffs. Vikes would have tiebreaker against AZ if they finish 8-8 (they play Eagles, SF, Rams)

I have no delusions of a deep playoff run.....but imagine traveling to either Lambeau or NO (very likely 1 of these 2 will be the #1 seed) in the wild card round and stealing a win!!!! From a 1-5 start to beating the Packers in the playoffs.....how SWEET it would be

I think it's a steep climb at this point. The Eagles lost three of their d-backs last week, and even with them healthy it would be an upset for the Eagles to win. If Arizona wins, then they MUST lose both of the last two games. I believe that the Vikings are going to have to win out.

[VikingPaul73]

Oh definitely it's an uphill climb, no argument here. But you never know, the Eagles seemed to respond pretty well to Jalen Hurts, SF is still a decent team (and is now pretty comfortable in the AZ stadium ) and Rams will probably be playing for seeding (hopefully). Definitely an uphill climb but also definitely not outside the realm of possibility.

Honestly the way this team is built, I like their chances going into Lambeau in January!!!

[RandyMoss84]

If Vikings lose today, they are eliminated right?

[VikingPaul73]

If Vikings lose today, they are eliminated right?

I saw on ESPN earlier that if they lost today, they would have a 4% chance of making playoffs. Not sure if this has changed based on any other games today, but either way, for all intents and purposes they are done. On to the offseason!!!!!!

[VikingLord]

Really disappointing game today by the defense overall. The Bears just bullied them all day and the Vikings couldn't stop the run or pass against a very limited offensive team. I wasn't surprised that the Bear defensive front won more than they lost against the Vikings OL, but to watch the Bear OL dominate the Vikings DL all day was surprising. The Bears just wanted it more.

The other thing that stood out to me in this game is how limited the Vikings were offensively. I mean, the Bear secondary is very questionable, and while the Bears get a decent rush, Cousins had time to try a few deep shots. Nothing. Nada. All game long it was short this, short that. Just a shockingly poor offensive gameplan IMHO, as the Vikings seemed to play right into the strength of the Bear defense while avoiding testing it's obvious shortcomings. Not sure if that comes down to Kubiak not calling plays that could go deep, Cousins not wanting to take the shots and checking down, or the Bear secondary really shutting the routes down (that last one I highly doubt), but by never attempting to take the top off the defense the Vikings made it much harder on Cook.

Oh, and lastly, the failures to score TDs in the red zone also killed them. They failed to do it consistently against the Bucs, and today again against the Bears. Irv Smith dropping a pass right into his breadbasket? Inexcusable. Cousins was way off too on several throws that, had he placed the ball better, would likely have been TDs.

A day like today brings me back to earth a bit with this team. All year long I watched a group that really seemed intent on getting better and that wanted it bad. Today seemed like a sleepwalk for most of them. Today was a big step back across the board.

[Boon]

I've come to terms with this team . It is what it is. I wont see them hoist a trophy in my lifetime and its pretty much set in stone

[Tark]

Unfortunately, I'm with you brother...

[RandyMoss84]

I've come to terms with this team . It is what it is. I wont see them hoist a trophy in my lifetime and its pretty much set in stone

It is funny that when Zimmer was hired, everyone was saying that Zimmer will being home a Superbowl championship and 7 years and counting, it has not happened and they are wrong so far

[Boon]

I've come to terms with this team . It is what it is. I wont see them hoist a trophy in my lifetime and its pretty much set in stone

It is funny that when Zimmer was hired, everyone was saying that Zimmer will being home a Superbowl championship and 7 years and counting, it has not happened and they are wrong so far

Nobody was saying that. Calm down

[Frozen Rope]

Really disappointing game today by the defense overall. The Bears just bullied them all day and the Vikings couldn't stop the run or pass against a very limited offensive team. I wasn't surprised that the Bear defensive front won more than they lost against the Vikings OL, but to watch the Bear OL dominate the Vikings DL all day was surprising. The Bears just wanted it more.

The other thing that stood out to me in this game is how limited the Vikings were offensively. I mean, the Bear secondary is very questionable, and while the Bears get a decent rush, Cousins had time to try a few deep shots. Nothing. Nada. All game long it was short this, short that. Just a shockingly poor offensive gameplan IMHO, as the Vikings seemed to play right into the strength of the Bear defense while avoiding testing it's obvious shortcomings. Not sure if that comes down to Kubiak not calling plays that could go deep, Cousins not wanting to take the shots and checking down, or the Bear secondary really shutting the routes down (that last one I highly doubt), but by never attempting to take the top off the defense the Vikings made it much harder on Cook.

Oh, and lastly, the failures to score TDs in the red zone also killed them. They failed to do it consistently against the Bucs, and today again against the Bears. Irv Smith dropping a pass right into his breadbasket? Inexcusable. Cousins was way off too on several throws that, had he placed the ball better, would likely have been TDs.

A day like today brings me back to earth a bit with this team. All year long I watched a group that really seemed intent on getting better and that wanted it bad. Today seemed like a sleepwalk for most of them. Today was a big step back across the board.

Good post, as always VL. In spite of everything, two plays stand out that could have changed the outcome of the game. First, the awful play call on 4th down at our own 30 yd line in the first half with Cook running straight up the middle for no gain. The Bears took over and settled for 3 points. Then, as you pointed out, Smith dropping that easy TD throw in the end zone. Cost us 4 points. We possibly win the game with those 7 points. Overall, you hit the nail on the head when you said we just lacked the energy and passion to win this game. I just didn’t feel we made any adjustments after half time to put more pressure on Trubiski or slow down their running game. Our tackling was atrocious. If I remember right, I think they only blitzed once. They still had great pressure with only rushing 4 and dropping 8 back. Kirk loves the deep ball. He had it in Washington with Jackson. I don’t know if it’s a separation issue or what it is but it’s not there for the most part. But in the end, we lacked intensity and the bears wanted it more than we did.