The Minnesota Vikings are set to take on the Chicago Bears in an important NFC North division battle on Monday night.
The game became even more important, as the Green Bay Packers gifted the Vikings a Detroit Lions loss by beating them 29-22 on Thanksgiving Day. It’s even more important after the Vikings lost to the Denver Broncos on Sunday night. The Vikings currently sit two games down from the Lions and can climb within 1.5 games with a win on Monday night.
As we approach the game on Monday night, there are multiple ways we will preview the game. We spoke to Alyssa Barbieri, managing editor of Bears Wire, to get the lowdown on the Bears.
1. Where is Justin Fields at with his development after returning from his thumb injury?
Fields made his return to the lineup last week against the Lions, where he showed no signs of rust. He showcased his dual-threat ability with a solid day through the air and making Detroit pay with his legs. Prior to suffering his dislocated thumb against the Vikings in Week 6, Fields was coming off back-to-back impressive outings against the Broncos and Commanders. He’ll need more of those kinds of games as this final stretch will essentially serve as an audition for Fields heading into 2024 – especially with Chicago projected to have a top-three draft pick (courtesy of the Panthers) where GM Ryan Poles could select his own quarterback.
2. There has been a lot of outside chatter about the future of Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus. Are they in danger of losing their jobs?
I’d say it’s more Eberflus than Poles at this point. The Bears have been an absolute disaster under Eberflus during his two years as head coach, where they haven’t just failed to eclipse .500 but they’ve been among the worst teams in the NFL. Eberflus is 6-22 in two seasons, which includes franchise-worst losing streaks – 14 consecutive losses and 10 consecutive home losses, both of which have since been broken. At this point, it feels like there’s no shot that Eberflus will be back on the sidelines in 2024. While Poles has made some questionable decisions in his two years, he still hasn’t had an opportunity to choose his quarterback – and even former Bears GM Ryan Pace got seven years. But with the addition of president/CEO Kevin Warren, I wouldn’t rule anything out – especially if Warren would rather start anew with his own guys.
3. The Bears chose to trade down from first overall and selected Darnell Wright. How has he progressed this season?
Wright has definitely looked the part of a franchise right tackle for the Bears, and he’s been the most impactful rookie on the team. He’s held his own against some of the league’s top edge rushers, although he hasn’t been without his rookie growing pains, including allowing Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson to blow by him for a strip sack at the end of last week’s game. But tackles take time to develop, and he’s had a strong rookie season. Wright has been one of the team’s better offensive linemen, but he’ll be looking to rebound after getting bested by Danielle Hunter earlier in the season.
4. The Bears have a good rush defense, but how are they against mobile quarterbacks? Is this something the Vikings can exploit with Josh Dobbs?
Chicago really hasn’t faced any mobile quarterbacks this season capable of gashing their defense for big runs. Patrick Mahomes is the closest, but he’s not necessarily looking to run like Dobbs. The Bears have been solid against the run this season – allowing 79.5 rushing yards per game, second best in the NFL – but Dobbs’ dual-threat ability is something that will test this Bears’ defense.
5. What’s your score prediction for the game?
It’s been six weeks since the Vikings last defeated the Bears. While nothing has really changed for Chicago, who are still trending toward two top-seven draft picks, Minnesota has gone from 1-4 to playoff contenders. The Vikings defensive front dominated the Bears earlier this season, and that’ll be key in this matchup. While I expect this to be a close game, Matt Eberflus is 0-9 against the NFC North, and I don’t expect him to get a divisional win at any point the rest of the way.
Vikings 27, Bears 20
