Vikings vs. Bears: What Are Experts Saying About Chicago?

After Chicago's disappointing loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 10, the Bears now shift their focus to the 4-5 Minnesota Vikings. The big loss in Green Bay did not give media pundits a shortage of topics to discuss this week as the Bears are set to play at Soldier Field for the first time since October 19.

The Bears have struggled in all three phases of the game this season, and they are currently on a three-game losing streak. The team sits with a record of 3-6 on the season, and it is in last place in the NFC North division. 

The Bears' playoff hopes were likely dashed in their loss to Green Bay, but they will need to continue to fight each week for a victory with the team not mathematically eliminated from the playoff race just yet.

What exactly are the experts saying about the Chicago Bears heading into their Week 11 matchup with the Minnesota Vikings? 

David Haugh: Trestman Is Oblivious to Reality

USA TODAY Sports

Following the Bears' embarrassing 55-14 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night, the Chicago Tribune's David Haugh believes head coach Marc Trestman is oblivious to reality. 

Chicago opted not to make any changes to its coaching staff this week after the team dropped to 3-6 on the season, and Trestman sat in front of the media on Monday afternoon as if nothing had changed from Week 1 to Week 11.

"I think this team and this locker room is in a good place at this time," Trestman said, via Haugh (subscription required). 

Haugh took exception to Trestman's comments on Monday, writing:

"

With delusional public performances like Monday's, Trestman isn't just making it easier for the Bears to fire him after two seasons. He's nearly making it imperative they do. Trestman's see-no-evil news conference 18 hours after a 41-point loss was the oral equivalent of getting beaten 55-14. He appeared unaware, unprepared and oblivious to the reality surrounding his job, which becomes more tenuous by the day. By embracing the status quo, Trestman empowered every fed-up Bears fan to demand big changes, which many hope will include him.

"

After weeks of watching his team struggle in all three phases of the game, Trestman is beginning to sound more and more like a broken record. He has blindly put faith into his coaching staff and players without making coaches and players accountable for their actions.

Trestman sounded more like the head coach of a team that is 6-3 than one that is 3-6 on Monday afternoon, and Haugh thinks Trestman's denial of his problems is what will ultimately define his tenure in Chicago.

"His denial of real problems eventually could hasten his descent into unemployment," Haugh wrote. "That's a good place for NFL head coaches who just don't get it."

If Trestman continues to deny his problems instead of trying to fix them, his time in Chicago will soon come to an end. 

Peter King: It Is Time for Jay Cutler to Be a Leader

Morry Gash/Associated Press

Detached. Mad. Disinterested.

Those are all words that have been used to describe Jay Cutler's body language on the field and on the sidelines throughout his nine-year career.

Since his arrival in Chicago back in 2008, Cutler's leadership, or lack thereof, has been a focal point for fans and media alike. With the Bears' season seemingly going down the drain, The MMQB's Peter King believes it is now time for Cutler to be a leader, or at least look like one.

"I don’t ask Cutler to throw a helmet or knock over the Gatorade table or be the team cheerleader," King wrote. "I just ask him to care. Or to at least look like he cares."

Leadership in sports can often be overstated, but with the Bears dropping three straight games, King believes Cutler needs to embrace that role this week, writing:

"

Cutler, whether he likes it or not (and I am sure he does not), needs to take on a different role with his team, starting Sunday against the Vikings. He needs to realize his franchise is going down the toilet, and he needs to realize he’s the highest-paid player on the team, and the player at the position of highest expectation for leadership. He needs to walk into the Wednesday team meeting that kicks off preparation for Sunday, and say something like We’re not going down like this. He needs to speak from the gut. He needs to fake it if he has to. But this is Jay Cutler’s time, no one else’s. The quarterback is the leader of a football team. It’s time for Cutler to act like one.

"

Whether or not Cutler truly believes in the rah-rah type attitude, it is hard to argue with King's point here. Cutler is the highest-paid player on his team, and he needs to start acting like a player who deserved the long-term contract he was awarded this offseason.  

Matt Bowen: The Bears Are a Broken Team That Quit

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Nothing went right for the Bears on Sunday Night Football when they were blown out by the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. 

The Bears looked like an inferior team from the moment the game started, and Green Bay's win was further proof that the Packers are simply a more talented team. While it may be frustrating, it is easy to accept a loss when a team gave its all, but Bleacher Report's Matt Bowen pointed out how some Bears players quit on Sunday night.

"That was a broken team, a defeated group waiting for the clock to run out so they could get back on the plane for the short trip home," Bowen wrote. 

From the moment the team went down 7-0 to start the game, many on the sidelines already looked defeated.

"They looked disinterested on the field and played with lazy, sloppy technique in basic schemes that are installed on the first day of mini-camp," Bowen wrote. 

That lazy, sloppy technique was on display when Green Bay's Eddie Lacy rumbled his way for a 75-yard touchdown run on a screen pass, via ChicagoFootball.com's Kevin Fishbain:

"

One more Vine, in case you wanted to watch Eddie Lacy's screen TD on loop https://t.co/7WsWWWOvX3

— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) November 11, 2014"

Many things can and should be questioned when a team loses as badly as the Bears did on Sunday night, but a team's effort should never be in question.

Head coach Marc Trestman did not think his team gave a poor effort against the Packers, but if the Bears perform this Sunday against the Vikings like they did against the Packers, it may be time to start looking for a new head coach in Chicago.  

Rich Gannon: Watching Jay Cutler Makes Me Sick to My Stomach

Kiichiro Sato/Associated Press

Quarterback Jay Cutler turned the ball over three more times on Sunday night against the Green Bay Packers, prompting former NFL MVP and current CBS analyst Rich Gannon to criticize Cutler's play.

“The quarterback, to me, makes me sick to my stomach,” Gannon told 670 The Score radio hosts Mike Mulligan and Brian Hanley on Monday morning, via David Just of the Chicago Sun-Times. “His footwork is atrocious at times. You see him back there in the pocket, throwing off his back foot, he’s got happy feet, he’s off-balance. It’s an accident waiting to happen."

Cutler's mechanics and footwork are things his coaches have been trying to fix since he entered the league back in 2006, but when under duress, he reverts back to his old ways.

He has now thrown 10 interceptions and lost five fumbles this season, leaving him tied atop the leaderboard in overall turnovers, via NFL columnist Dan Pompei:

"

Jay Cutler is tied for the league lead in giveaways at 15 with rookie Blake Bortles. This team can't win that way.

— Dan Pompei (@danpompei) November 10, 2014"

Cutler's mistakes are not the only reason why Chicago is 3-6 this season, but they are definitely a big reason why.

“He’s part of the problem. He’s not the whole problem, but he’s certainly part of it," Gannon said, via Just. "You look at the offense … and it’s a fairly talented group. I don’t know where to begin. It’s a mess and unfortunately it’s gonna cost some people their jobs.”

Cutler has not caused anyone on the current staff to lose his job this season, but if he and the team continue to struggle, there is a strong possibility that there will be another new staff guiding Cutler next season.

Gannon will get a chance to see Cutler's poor footwork and mechanics up close this Sunday when he calls the game for CBS at 1:00 p.m. ET.

Pete Prisco: Bears Will Bounce Back

Ann Heisenfelt/Associated Press

CBSSports.com's Pete Prisco predicted correctly last week that the Bears would lose to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football, but he predicts a better outcome for Chicago in Week 11.

Despite how poorly the Bears have played in their last two games, Prisco believes they will bounce back against Minnesota this Sunday with a 28-23 victory.

"How do the Bears bounce back after that awful showing in Green Bay? Can they? I think they do," Prisco wrote. "This is the type of game where that passing game will come alive. Jay Cutler puts up numbers here to shut some people up. For now."

Prisco's assessment sounds all well and good, but the Bears have done very little in the past month to show they are a team to feel real confident about.

It would not come as a surprise if the Bears came away with a much-needed victory on Sunday afternoon, but they currently look like a team that is all out of sorts, while the Vikings are currently riding a two-game winning streak. 

Record/statistical information provided via email from the Chicago Bears or NFL.com.

Matt Eurich is an NFL/Chicago Bears Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and a member of the Pro Football Writers of America.

Follow @MattEurich