The Minnesota Vikings have lost four in a row to the Chicago Bears. In those games the same storyline continues to play out, like the Vikings are stuck in the movie Groundhog Day.
These are the scripts that need to flip if they are going to end this losing streak to their division rival:
Get Dalvin Cook going
Twelve, 39 and 35 aren’t last nights winning lottery numbers, they are Cook’s rushing totals per game the last three times he faced the Bears. Chicago has done a fantastic job neutralizing the Vikings’ star back and have made the purple’s offense one-dimensional. With Cook taken out of the picture, the games have fallen on Kirk Cousins‘ shoulders, and the Bears come after the quarterback with everything they have knowing that the Vikings are going to pass. This has happened three out of the last four games, and it’s time Cook finds success against this stiff test of a defense.
He has been extremely hot lately, running for nearly 400 total yards the last two games alone. The offensive line is playing better too, and this is the Vikings’ best chance to actually move the ball on the ground against the Bears since 2017. Minnesota needs to be patient with the running game when they square off. If runs aren’t there early, and the Bears are closing gaps and stifling Cook, Kubiak can’t give up and go to the pass. He has to continue to feed Cook in hopes that he breaks off a long one.
The Vikings also need to keep pounding the ball to try and wear out the Bears front seven. If they can start to tire them out, then late in the game Cook could find some more room and be able to break free and put points on the board while taking time off the clock. If the Vikings can get Cook rolling and set up the play-action pass from it, they should be able to break the curse of losing to the Bears on Monday Night Football.
Offensive line getting manhandled
This was alluded to above, but the Vikings’ offensive line has gotten absolutely throttled by the Bears’ front seven three of the last four times they faced off. Last year was especially brutal, as Garrett Bradbury was getting overpowered by Nick Williams and was consistently pushed into the backfield.
The mismatch in power and strength killed the Vikings’ running game, and it also created a ton of pressure on Cousins, who was forced to throw the ball sooner than he wanted. Minnesota needs to be the more physical team this week and come out ready to dominate.
The offensive line has been better since they put Ezra Cleveland into the lineup. The second round guard has done a great job and has been solid in both pass protection and run blocking. He’s been the missing piece, and the line has become a strength with Riley Reiff having a surprisingly good season, Bradbury coming into his own and Brian O’Neill on the right side. They have allowed Cook to have a breakout, and Cousins has had ample time in the pocket to find the open man and make safe throws that keep the chains moving.
The Vikings’ offensive line is coming into its own at the right time. If they can even hang with the Bears and not get dominated by them like they have in recent contests, then the Vikings could come out on top and end the four-game skid.
Kirk cousins’ play
Cousins has faced the Bears three times in his Vikings’ career, and the numbers aren’t pretty: He’s thrown for 627 yards in those games with three interceptions. That isn’t great, but what’s worse is that he’s taken an eye-popping 12 sacks in that stretch. Some of that has to be put on the offensive line, but some of it has to be on Cousins. He has to do a better job of finding the open man when he plays the Bears. He’s so worried about avoiding pressure or getting hit that he panics and doesn’t see an open man streaking down the field.
Cousins’ best bet is to just play the way he has in recent weeks. He’s become more of a game manager with Cook’s breakout play. That’s fine. He doesn’t need to throw the ball 30 times to win this game, he just needs to make the throws he needs to to keep the chains moving or put six on the board when the team is in the red zone. He has gotten better play out of his offensive line in recent weeks and hopefully has gained some trust in their pass protection.
Gary Kubiak can also help his quarterback out with three-step drops and more plays from the shotgun. The threat of the Bears pass rush is going to be there all game no matter how good the offensive line plays, and the game plan has to be to get the ball out in a hurry every time the Vikings drop back to pass the football. Cousins hasn’t had great luck on Monday nights or against the Bears, but has a very good chance to exorcise those demons with an unsexy but solid performance just like the ones he’s had the last two weeks.
