Vikings

4 Things We Learned in the Vikings Win Over the Bears

Nov 16, 2020; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears running back Artavis Pierce (46) rushes the ball against Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Hercules Mata'afa (51) during the fourth quarter at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-USA TODAY Sports

The Minnesota Vikings got a rare win on Monday Night Football and ended their four-game losing streak to the Chicago Bears with a gritty 19-13 victory to advance to 4-5.

Here are four things we learned in the purple’s third straight victory:

The team can win without a huge game from Cook

The Vikings knew that heading into this game that the Bears would be doing everything they could to take Dalvin Cook away. Their plan would be for Kirk Cousins to beat them through the air and do something he had never done before in his career: Win on Monday night. The Bears mostly accomplished that goal, holding Cook to 96 yards on the ground — quite the accomplishment considering he had run for nearly 400 yards in the last two games combined.

While Cook was stymied for the most part, Cousins did what he had to do to lead the team to a huge win on the road. Cousins threw for 292 yards with two touchdowns and an interception that wasn’t his fault. He made the throws he needed to make that moved the chains and struck gold in the red zone. He was accurate with his ball placement and didn’t force the ball into any double-coverages. This was the type of game-managing play we’ve seen in recent weeks, and it worked.

While Cousins was efficient, the Vikings’ defense also did their part. They were able to get plenty of pressure on Nick Foles and took advantage of the Bears’ ragtag group of backup offensive linemen. While Cook is a great luxury to have, the Vikings learned tonight that they can win with great defensive play and Cousins managing the game.

The offensive line is legit

The Vikings knew they had to match Chicago’s physicality up front. The Bears’ defensive line had been dominant in recent games against the Vikings, having their way with the Minnesota Moving Company. But the purple had a little more hope that things would turn out differently this time, because their offensive line had come into their own in recent weeks. This was seen as their best chance to hold up against the Bears’ impressive front seven, and they did so with aplomb on Monday night.

The Vikings’ offensive line allowed just one sack all game long. They gave Cousins plenty of time where he was able to stand tall in the pocket and scan the field. It was a little more difficult for the boys up front to create holes in the running game, but Cook and Mattison rushed for 100 yards combined on the day.

Ever since Ezra Cleveland was inserted into the Vikings’ starting lineup, this unit has turned things around. He’s solidified this group, and they are playing better across the board. After this game against the Bears, the Vikings offensive line can no longer be considered a weak spot. If anything it has to be considered a strength moving forward.

special teams need work

The Vikings should’ve handily beaten the Bears on Monday night. They had a couple of turnovers that kept things close, but what really closed the gap was the difference in special teams. They had a couple of blunders that kept the Bears in the game longer than they should’ve been.

The first was earlier in the game when the Vikings’ punted the football. Dan Chisena, who is supposed to be special teams’ demon, flew down the field and grabbed the bouncing ball. He then firmly planted his feet to down it, but his heels were clearly on the white stripe. That was an embarrassing play for the rookie and not his first bonehead one of the year.

To start the second half, the Vikings kicked off to their former first-round pick Cordarrelle Patterson. The team had to know going into the game that Patterson was still a dangerous return man. Despite that, they kicked it right to him, and he broke free and took Dan Bailey‘s kick to the house. This put the Bears up by six points and completely swung the momentum of the game.

The Vikings fought back to take the lead and then another special teams’ gaffe kept the Bears alive. Long snapper Austin Cutting basically rolled the ball to Britton Colquitt, and despite a valiant effort to make something out of nothing, a Bears defender was crashing down on him before he could salvage the hold. He tried throwing it for two, but it failed. This put the Vikings’ up by six instead of seven, again giving hope to a team that was asking to be put out of its misery.

They need to get their special teams play in order moving forward. Zimmer was seen screaming at Marwan Maalouf on the sidelines after the kick return touchdown, and he had to be in the doghouse already with the two blocked punts the week prior against the Detroit Lions. The Vikings have to get better across the board on special teams, or it could be something that puts an end to their improbable playoff push.

the vikings are in the playoff hunt

While they are still a long shot, the Minnesota Vikings are back in the playoff picture. They are 4-5 with seven games left to play. Not that this team is in any position to overlook another squad, but they have the Dallas Cowboys, Jacksonville Jaguars, Carolina Panthers, and another round with Detroit and Chicago coming up on the schedule. If they win those five contests, that puts them at 9-7 at worst. With there being an extra playoff spot this year, that could be enough for the Vikings to sneak in.

While they are 4-5, this team is trending in the right direction. Cook is on fire, the offensive line is jelling, and the defense is starting to get consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Cousins has also taken on more of a game-manager role, and that is working for them. The Vikings are also getting solid play out of their young cornerbacks, and Gladney, Chris Jones and Kris Boyd have played well together. They’ll get a boost when Cameron Dantzler comes back from injury, and that should only improve things on the back end.

Three weeks ago no one predicted the Vikings would be in this position, and many were clamoring for Zimmer to be fired and for the team to tank for Trevor Lawrence. They should be given a ton of credit for their improved play since then, and the win on the road against the Chicago Bears on Monday night taught us that they are going to be in the thick of things when it comes to a wild card berth in the playoffs.

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Nov 16, 2020; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears running back Artavis Pierce (46) rushes the ball against Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Hercules Mata'afa (51) during the fourth quarter at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-USA TODAY Sports

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