The Minnesota Vikings head home after beating the New Orleans Saints in London, 28-25, partly thanks to a last-second double doink. While the Vikings haven’t looked great the last three weeks, they are managing to get wins. Though fans would like to see a comfortable win to reassure themselves, it is essential to remember that ultimately Minnesota is 3-1, and they have the early lead in the division.
This week, the Vikings will play another NFC North opponent, the Chicago Bears. While they sit in third place in the division at 2-2, their win was Week 1 over the San Francisco 49ers in slip-and-slide Soldier Field conditions. The other was a close win against the Houston Texans; another team projected to finish near the bottom of the league.
A win over the Bears on Sunday would move the Vikings to 4-1, giving them three divisional wins at home. It’s a bit of a cliche, but you must win the games in your division to make it to the playoffs. The sentiment is even more true when it is a divisional game at home. And while the Vikings should coast to a win, they shouldn’t take this game lightly. A loss here opens the door for the Packers to take the lead in the NFC North.
Here are three things the Chicago Bears do well that the Vikings need to look out for.
Sack the Quarterback
Last season, the Bears ranked amongst the league leaders in sacks, finishing third in the NFL with 45 throughout the season. You would assume this number would go down, considering the Bears traded away star edge rusher Khalil Mack. However, Mack played in only 7 games last season.
From a pass-rush perspective, Robert Quinn is the man to watch out for on Chicago’s defense. Quinn had a resurgence season last year, recording 18.5 sacks after a career-low of two in 2020. Though he has started the season slow, with just one sack up to this point, he will look to get after Kirk Cousins this week. The Vikings might see situations where the Bears look to line up Quinn right in front of Ed Ingram. Or they may run stunts tailored to get Quinn on Ingram one-on-one to take advantage of Ingram’s inexperience.
The Vikings’ offensive line will need to bounce back from their performance last week against the Saints. The Bears shouldn’t have the level of success that New Orleans’ defense had rushing just four men.
Run the Ball
The Bears have two capable running backs, David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert. Both have proven their ability to get the ball downfield and control the clock. So far, with the lackluster passing game that has been made evident to everyone, Chicago’s offense has relied on the run game much more than any other team.
With Justin Fields‘ ability to move out of the pocket and create with his legs, the Vikings’ defense will also need to account for him.
So far, the Vikings’ run defense has left much to be desired, as they had a hard time stopping Latavius Murray and Mark Ingram last week. They have also struggled with mobile quarterbacks who can create with their legs. Look as far back as Week 2 and how Jalen Hurts took over the first half with his running ability.
The Vikings’ defense will need to hone in on stopping the run this week and forcing Fields to beat them with his arm.
Cover WR1s
Jaylon Johnson is doubtful for this week, but it is hard to ignore how good he has been this season. So far, he has allowed a passer rating of only 42.4 when in coverage. While the Bears’ secondary has struggled, Johnson remains a massive bright spot. Johnson was so good in coverage that against the Packers, Aaron Rodgers didn’t even target his man once.
If the Vikings and Kirk Cousins want to have any success against the Bears’ secondary, they would be much better off targeting Kyler Gordon or Kindle Vildor. Gordon, the rookie from Washington, has had a rough start to the season. Many quarterbacks have targeted him to make up for Johnson’s excellent coverage. The Vikings receivers know all about Vidor. They often found themselves exploiting him while they were operating in the slot.
With Johnson out, you can expect a big game from the Vikings wideouts. The Bears’ defense should also throw a lot more two-high safety looks to compensate for their horrible corner play.
