We’re still in the first quarter of the Bears’ 2019 season, but you could argue Sunday’s game against the Vikings could be characterized as a must-win.
The Bears (2-1) and Vikings (2-1) occupy the bottom of what’s become a competitive NFC North, and there’s no denying the significance of this game.
“The game is big,” Bears coach Matt Nagy said Tuesday. “It’s a division game, it’s at home. We’re 0-1 right now at home versus a division opponent. I felt like last year when we played these guys at home, that was the turning point of our season where I felt like we got a big win.”
Nagy’s not wrong. This game has the potential to be the turning point for the Bears much like last year’s Week 11 primetime showdown, where there was a division lead on the line.
As expected, it was a defensive battle where Chicago ultimately got the best of QB Kirk Cousins and the Vikings offense, who failed to get anything going against this defense.
They suffocated Minnesota’s offense, including two sacks and three takeaways, one of which was an Eddie Jackson pick-six. The Bears won 25-20, and it wasn’t even that close.
The Bears went 5-1 to finish the regular season, their only loss coming to the Giants as they faced New York without starting QB Mitch Trubisky.
Chicago took control of the NFC North following the win, and they never looked back en route to winning the division at 12-4.
Now, it’s far too soon to predict whether that will happen in Week 4, but there’s no denying that this game is one that the Bears could end up looking back on as either a game that defined their season, be it in a positive or negative way.
The only difference this season is that the NFC North lead isn’t on the line, rather last place and a 0-2 division start.
