Dec. 19--1. All day, all the time
The key to beating the Vikings hasn't changed much: slow Adrian Peterson. The 30-year-old running back is averaging 25 carries and 126 yards in the team's eight wins; in their five losses, he's averaged 14 rushes and 49 yards. Peterson's 1,251 rushing yards rank second in the NFL, positioning him to win the third rushing title of his career. Peterson twice has topped 200 yards against the Bears, rushing for 211 in Week 14 of 2011 and a league-record 296 in his rookie season in 2007.
2. Back in action?
Pernell McPhee didn't like his vantage point for last week's loss to the Redskins as he was inactive because of a knee issue. And McPhee certainly didn't enjoy seeing the defense give up long touchdown drives on its first two possessions. "If I would've been out there, that (expletive) wouldn't have happened," he said. The outside linebacker hopes to play Sunday, bringing a violent edge back to the "D." "We need to play like some dogs with an attitude and a swag. ... We just have to stop being nice guys. Be pit bulls."
3. Progress report
Jay Cutler's 315 passing yards last week marked his third-highest output this season. The Bears will need him to make more big plays on the road to snap a two-game losing streak, but Cutler continues to draw praise for cutting down on his mistakes. He has only seven interceptions this season. And that, coordinator Adam Gase said, has been a byproduct of Cutler staying with himself and the offense. "Very rarely has he made a decision where we were all sitting there going, 'Why would he do that?'"
4. Get well soon
In his only career game at TCF Bank Stadium, Robbie Gould made all four of his field-goal attempts plus four PATs on an icy field on a snowy night in Minneapolis. That came during a 40-14 Bears victory late in the 2010 season. And perhaps that'll provide good vibrations for Gould as he looks to pull out of a funk in which he has missed his last three field-goal attempts, including a potential game-tying kick against the Redskins last week and a game-winner the week before against the 49ers.
