Minnesota’s 2019 season went into full-on chaos in the fourth game.
The Bears defense stifled the Vikings offense en route to a 16-6 victory. Minnesota could not get anything going and fell to 2-2. At the time, it looked like the Vikings might be the third best team in the NFC North.
That was also the game that Stefon Diggs left before talking to media. He proceeded to miss a practice shortly after that. Asked about his frustrations with Minnesota’s offense and whether he wanted to be traded, Diggs said “there’s truth to all rumors,” per NFL.com. We all know what happened in the offseason.
The Vikings came back from that tough loss. Minnesota next played Chicago at U.S. Bank in 2019, a meaningless game because the Vikings had already made the playoffs.
Now, the Vikings play the Bears for the first time in 2020. This is a game that, if it goes as poorly as it did the last time Minnesota went to Soldier Field, the Vikings are in a lot more trouble.
Not only does losing to the Bears set them back in the division and playoff race, but it shows that Minnesota can’t beat even decent teams on a consistent basis.
The Vikings have wins over the struggling Texans and Lions. The team’s most impressive victory came against Green Bay, where the Vikings benefitted a lot from cold weather and still almost lost.
The Vikings winning puts the team at 4-5, gives them a three-game winning streak and a road victory over a division rival on Monday night. In the Vikings’ next four games, three of the teams have losing records. The one team that does not is the 5-4 Bears.
If Minnesota wants to prove that these last two wins aren’t flukes, the team has to go to Chicago and get a win. If the Vikings do that, it’s time to start thinking about this team in a more serious light.
