Behind Enemy Lines: 6 questions with Vikings Wire
The Chicago Bears visit the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, needing to win in order to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.
A lot has changed since the last time these two teams met. In Week 10, Minnesota got the best of Chicago 19-13 as the Bears offense managed just six points. We’ll see if Chicago’s offense, which is averaging 30 points per game over the last three weeks, can find a way to keep their momentum going.
Before the game, we caught up with managing editor Jack White of Vikings Wire to get the scoop on the Bears’ Week 15 opponent.
Here are six questions with Vikings Wire:
The Vikings’ season was once thought to be a wash earlier this year, but they’re now competing for a playoff spot. What’s changed?
AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast
What hasn’t? Justin Jefferson emerged as a star. The Vikings defense improved. But I think the most important thing is the play of the quarterback. Kirk Cousins struggled against the Falcons [Week 6] and Colts [Week 2]. Since then, he’s really put it together and ran the offense efficiently. I’ll say this as well: I think Minnesota was better than its record suggested early in the year [during a 1-5 start]. The team was a few plays away from beating the Seahawks and Titans. If the Vikings kept playing close games, some of them were bound to be wins.
Minnesota’s offense runs through RB Dalvin Cook. In the last meeting, the Bears defense kept Cook relatively in check for most of the game. Do you foresee a similar result on Sunday?
Quinn Harris-USA TODAY Sports
I do. I think the Bears defense is good and the unit will make Cook a priority. The only way it doesn’t happen in my mind is if Akiem Hicks and Khalil Mack don’t play. If that happens, Minnesota might be able to run over a depleted Bears defense. But Mack will provide pressure, and Hicks was a huge factor in stopping Cook last game. Both of them make it hard for the Vikings to be successful on offense.
The last time these teams met, the Vikings defense had its share of struggles, particularly against the pass. How has Minnesota’s defense changed since then?
Mike Dinovo-USA TODAY Sports
The Vikings defense played really well against the Bears, then had a stellar performance against the Panthers a couple weeks later. However, the group has looked lackluster the last two games. Against the Jaguars, the unit let a struggling Jacksonville back into the game. In the last game vs. the Buccaneers, the group hardly could generate a pass rush and the Tampa Bay offense hummed along. I think the defense has come a long way since Aaron Rogers picked it apart in Week 1. Recently, though, they have regressed. Some of that can be contributed to linebacker Eric Kendricks being out. If the team has him back, the group will be better in all phases of the game — whether that’s run stopping, pass defense or creating turnovers.
Bears fans know a little something about kicker struggles, and the Vikings appear to be looking for a new kicker after Dan Bailey missed four kicks [in Week 14]. How big of an impact do you think the kicking game will have in this contest?
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
I think it will have a huge impact. Of course, U.S. Bank is an indoor stadium, but Bailey struggled there in the Jaguars game [in Week 13]. Bailey is a historically accurate kicker, but the last two games, he has not looked like a league-caliber player. The Vikings will need him to bounce back, but if he doesn’t, the team may be looking for a new kicker very soon.
What’s your biggest concern heading into this game?
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
The kick game. Bailey almost lost the game against the Jaguars when he missed a potential game-winner. In my opinion, he lost it, or at least made it hard to win, against the Buccaneers. From Gary Anderson to Blair Walsh to Daniel Carlson, this is a Vikings team that has fallen victim to plenty of important missed field goals. So why not against the Bears in what is essentially a must-win game?
What's your prediction for the game?
AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh
The Vikings have a lot riding on this game. I think the defense plays aggressively after a down game against the Buccaneers. Like the last matchup between these two, Cousins does enough to win it. Vikings 28, Bears 20
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