NFL Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota Vikings Have Favorable Matchup vs. Chicago Bears

Fresh Videos

By

Mike Zimmer

Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

The Minnesota Vikings are coming off their Week 10 bye and get the opportunity to play the Chicago Bears, a team that extended their losing streak to three games with a 55-14 loss to the Green Bay Packers last Sunday night. The Vikings, on the other hand, have had two weeks to prepare for the Bears, a squad that has struggled mightily against the pass all season long and will now host a Vikings team that has seen an increase in passing yards for three straight games.

Not only has the Vikings’ offense shown new life in recent weeks, but their defense has continued to look the part of a top 10 unit by allowing just 213 passing yards per game, ranking fourth in the entire league. They’re allowing an average of 22 points per game this season, but only one opponent — the Washington Redskins — have reached that mark in the Vikings’ last four games.

The Bears have scored 22 points or more in just five of their nine games this season, and with the regression of their offense in recent weeks it seems unlikely that number will change. Jay Cutler is largely the reason for the Bears’ troubles as of late as the nine-year veteran has thrown four interceptions in his last three games and been sacked a total of nine times in that same span.

Facing constant pressure makes the job of the quarterback much tougher, but with the Vikings recording 30 sacks already this season, tied for fourth in the NFL, Cutler should expect to have defenders in his face all afternoon, especially first-year starter at defensive end Everson Griffen. Griffen’s nine sacks this season rank fifth in the league, and the development of second-year pro Sharrif Floyd has made the Vikings’ defensive line one of the top pass rushing units in the league.

The Vikings are a surprising 4-5 through 10 weeks of action and seem to have a favorable matchup this coming Sunday. If they’re able to effectively rush the passer, as they’ve done all season long, the Vikings should have no problem stopping a Bears offense that currently has no momentum. On the other side of the football, the Vikings have been improving weekly as well as Teddy Bridgewater has gone two straight games without an interception while throwing the ball a total of 84 times.

The Vikings aren’t yet at the level of Super Bowl contender, but they’re quietly keeping up with the Packers and Detroit Lions in the NFC North. They should be collecting their third straight victory this coming Sunday afternoon.

Nick Baker is a contributing writer for Rant Sports and you can follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and add him to your network on Google.

Share Tweet
Trending Now on