Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears: Complete Week 11 Preview for Minnesota
The Minnesota Vikings will try to get back to .500 for the first time since September when they take on the Chicago Bears this Sunday at Soldier Field.
The Windy City hasn't been very hospitable to the Vikings of late. Minnesota hasn't won in Chicago in its last six trips and is just 1-12 in the last 13 visits to Illinois.
On the plus side for the Vikings, the Bears are 0-3 at home this year and have dropped three straight games and five of their last six on their way to a 3-6 mark.
The Bears have been particularly brutal over the last two weeks, giving up more than 50 points to both the New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers. Chicago gave up 80 points and 10 touchdown passes combined in the first half of those two games.
Simply put, if things have been a little bit rocky for the Vikings in Minnesota this year, they've fallen straight off a cliff for the Bears in Chicago.
So this Week 11 matchup between NFC North foes pits two teams that are clearly at crossroads in their respective 2014 seasons.
The Vikings have won two straight games, and a win over the Bears would put them at 5-5 with three straight home games next on the schedule.
Things could go one of two ways for the Bears. They could play with a reckless abandon that teams with nothing to lose often do, or they could mail it in on their way to playing out the string on the season.
The Bears' faults on defense are obvious, but it's the offense that continues to be puzzling. With four offensive skill position players who've made the Pro Bowl, it's a mystery as to why Chicago's offense only ranks 18th in the league.
Most fingers point toward quarterback Jay Cutler, who continues to frustrate Bears fans with his lackadaisical play and his seemingly detached attitude toward his team's failures.
All of this has second-year head coach Marc Trestman on a seat that isn't just hot but boiling over.
For the Vikings, Sunday's game is pretty tricky to get a handle on. On paper, you'd think that the odds would never be better for them to break their bleak losing streak in Chicago. They should be fresh and ready to go after a week off; the Bears resemble a stunned boxer at this point in the season.
Are the Vikings good enough yet to take advantage of the situation? Can Minnesota regain the momentum it has built with two straight victories after a bye week?
We've learned a lot about Mike Zimmer's team over the course of the first nine games of the season. We'll learn a lot more this Sunday against the Bears.
Vikings' Week 9 Recap
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Rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater led the Minnesota Vikings on a 12-play, 73-yard fourth-quarter drive that helped Minnesota knock off the Washington Redskins 29-26 and enter their bye week with a 4-5 record.
Running back Matt Asiata capped off the drive with a one-yard touchdown run—his third touchdown of the day—and then also scored on a handoff for the two-point conversion for the final margin.
Minnesota's defense, which sacked Robert Griffin III five times on the afternoon, forced Washington to turn the ball over on downs on the last possession to seal the victory.
It was a back-and-forth affair all afternoon as the Redskins jumped out to a 10-0 lead before the Vikings grabbed their first lead at 14-10 in the third quarter on a one-yard Asiata score.
Washington then scored the next 10 points in grabbing a 20-14 lead after three quarters. That set the stage for a tense fourth quarter that saw three lead changes, capped by Minnesota's late touchdown to win the game.
Bridgewater finished the game 26-of-42 for 268 yards and a touchdown. The Vikings defense did a great job of containing Griffin in his return to action, limiting him to 251 yards passing and just one touchdown.
Safety Harrison Smith led the Minnesota defense with 10 solo tackles, and defensive end Everson Griffen continued his strong play, making six tackles and racking up his career-high ninth sack of the season.
The win was the Vikings' second straight, and they entered last weekend's bye with momentum on their side. At 4-5, the playoffs are still a long shot but not out of the question. The bigger goal in Mike Zimmer's first season as a head coach is to see improvement on both sides of the ball and to see growth from the young players.
While the offense is still a bit stagnant, the defense has taken huge strides forward from last season. After finishing near the bottom of the league in nearly every defensive statistic last year, Minnesota ranks eighth in total defense and third in sacks with 30.
The offense should at least be rested and ready coming off the bye. The Vikings will get an opportunity to shine this Sunday as they take on a Bears defense that's been completely bludgeoned their last two times out.
News and Notes
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Adrian Peterson's Appeals Hearing Set for November 17
Vikings' running back Adrian Peterson's appeals hearing to be removed from the exempt list will take place next Monday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
Peterson pleaded no contest to one count of misdemeanor reckless assault but remained on the commissioner's exempt list as the NFL considered a suspension.
The NFL Players Association filed an expedited, non-injury grievance on Monday, looking to get Minnesota's star running back reinstated immediately.
What remains to be seen is how the Vikings will handle the situation internally once the league has made its decision.
Mike Zimmer vs. Marc Trestman for the First Time
On paper, it almost looks as if the two head coaches landed in each other's destined spot.
Trestman is a Minnesota native who played college football for the Minnesota Gophers. Zimmer is an Illinois native who played for Illinois State.
Zimmer's fiery demeanor and no-nonsense style seem like a perfect fit to the Bears' mentality. Trestman's stoic and calm style seem more in-step with the Vikings' previous coaches.
Having said that, nobody in Minnesota wants to let go of Zimmer, while Trestman is fighting for his head coaching life in Chicago.
Mike Mulligan wrote a scathing column in the Chicago Tribune about Trestman's passive approach while his team flounders around him.
Meanwhile, Zimmer is getting nothing but praise in Minnesota. He's done a great job of creating a culture of accountability as he tries to return the franchise to higher expectations. Brian Hall of FoxSports.com details how Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman have the Vikings moving in the right direction.
While the two coaches fortunes' seem to be moving in the opposite direction, Sunday's result will swing momentum for both teams.
Soldier Field Has Been a House of Horrors for the Vikings
For a rivalry that's been so historically even (Minnesota leads the all-time series 54-50-2), it's dumbfounding how one-sided things have been in Chicago in the recent past.
The Vikings have lost the last six and 12 of the last 13 away games against the Bears. It looked like the Vikings were going to put an end to the streak last September, only to see Jay Cutler throw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Martellus Bennett with just 10 seconds left to break Minnesota's heart, 31-30.
The Bears are 7-3 against the Vikings since Cutler joined the rivalry in 2009. He has played in eight of those games and surprisingly has never thrown for 300 yards against the Vikings. That's not to say that he hasn't been his typical gunslinger self against Minnesota, though; he's thrown 18 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions against the Vikings.
The Vikings got some cold-weather work in this week, which should prepare them for Sunday, where a high of 34 degrees is expected in Chicago.
RIP Orlando Thomas
Former Vikings safety Orlando Thomas died on November 9 of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, as reported by Paul Walsh of the Star Tribune. He was just 42 years old.
Thomas led the NFL with nine interceptions as a rookie in 1995 and was ranked as the 77th best Viking of all time by Bleacher Report in 2013.
His former teammates honored him on Twitter:
"Only a few people like us @RandyMoss @JakeReed86 and @Coreyfuller4 know what kind man and teammate we lost in Orlando Thomas. #RIP
— Cris Carter (@criscarter80) November 10, 2014 "
"I am devastated and saddened about the passing of one of my best friends, @OrlandoThomas42 He's in a better place now #RIPOT Love you, man!
— Jake Reed (@JakeReed86) November 10, 2014"
Injury Report
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| Player | Position | Injury Status |
| Kyle Rudolph | TE | Probable |
| Chase Ford | TE | Probable |
| Jerick McKinnon | RB | Probable |
| Scott Crichton | DE | Questionable |
As you might expect, the Vikings come off their bye week as healthy as they've been all season. Many of the nagging injuries that limited several players in practice over the last month or so have all healed up, and Minnesota's injury list is as small as it's been all season.
The big news this week is that tight end Kyle Rudolph will return to action after missing six games due to having surgery to repair a sports hernia. Josh Alper of NBCSports.com reports that Rudolph was a full participant in practice on Thursday and should be set to go on Sunday.
Both the Vikings and Rudolph were hoping for big things in 2014 after he signed a five-year, $36.5 million deal in July. He missed the second half of the 2013 season after he broke his left foot.
Tight end Chase Ford still has a nagging foot injury but has been a full participant in practice this week and will play on Sunday.
Rookie running back Jerick McKinnon was limited in practice Thursday as he's dealing with some lower back pain, but he's expected to be ready to go full-tilt on Sunday.
The only questionable player for Minnesota on Sunday is rookie defensive end Scott Crichton, who missed practice Thursday with a hip issue.
All injury reports are courtesy of Vikings.com.
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X-Factor and Matchups to Watch
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Matt Kalil vs. Jared Allen
Poor Jared Allen has still never won a game at Soldier Field.
The Vikings were 0-6 in Chicago during Allen's tenure, and the Bears are 0-3 at home in Allen's first with the team after signing a four-year deal that could be worth up to $32 million.
It's been a frustrating season for Allen, who has just 1.5 sacks on the season and has fought to regain weight after a bout with pneumonia, according to Ben Goessling of ESPN.com.
As for Kalil, it's been Vikings fans who have had to deal with frustration. The third-year left tackle is having a miserable season, and his poor play has many wondering if he can be a cornerstone left tackle moving forward.
It's an interesting matchup between two players who lined up across from each other at practice every day for two seasons. Allen is nearing the end of a career that will probably put him in the Hall of Fame, but he's struggling to prove to himself and the Bears that he can still play at a high level.
Kalil has given up too many sacks this year and was recently ranked as the third worst pass-blocking tackle in the league by Pro Football Focus as mentioned on ESPN.com. Like the rest of the offensive line, Kalil played better the last two weeks before the bye and knows what he's up against in Allen, as detailed by Goessling:
"I've gone against him in camp, which is probably the hardest I've gone against him. People say he only has 1.5 sacks, but there were probably 8 or 9 plays where he was just a hand away. So, I don't think he's really lost a step at all. I've heard people saying that. But he still has a knack for the ball, a knack for making plays.
"
While Allen would like nothing more than to make Kalil's season miserable for one more day, the Vikings need Kalil to win his battle and keep Allen away from Teddy Bridgewater.
Xavier Rhodes vs. Alshon Jeffery and Brandon Marshall
Second-year cornerback Xavier Rhodes seems to be getting better every week, and while he leads Minnesota with eight passes defensed, he's still looking for his first career interception.
Rhodes should get plenty of opportunities this Sunday in Chicago. Jay Cutler is always flinging the ball around the field, and his 10 interceptions are the second-most in the league.
One of the main reasons the Vikings drafted Rhodes was for his physical nature and ability to press big receivers at the line of scrimmage. Chicago has two high-end big guys in Alshon Jeffery and Brandon Marshall, who stand 6'3" and 6'4", respectively.
Both guys have caught more than 40 passes this year. Jeffery leads the Bears with 626 receiving yards, and Marshall paces them with six touchdown receptions.
The dynamic duo has had plenty of success against the Vikings. Last December, Jeffery had a monster game, catching 12 passes for 249 yards and a pair of touchdowns. In the first game last year between these two teams, Marshall caught seven passes for 113 yards and a touchdown.
Minnesota's defense is much-improved this year, though, and while the secondary still lacks speed, it is giving up far less passing yards than in previous seasons.
Obviously, Rhodes won't be tasked with shutting down either receiver by himself, but the Vikings need a big day from him in order to slow down Chicago's passing offense.
A first career interception wouldn't hurt either.
Cordarrelle Patterson vs. Himself
Did you watch the Bears pass defense against the Packers last Sunday night?
If you did, you saw Jordy Nelson catching 73- and 40-yard touchdown passes in the first half nearly uncovered.
Chicago is allowing 269 passing yards per game, which ranks 28th in the league. The Bears have given up 23 touchdown passes, which ranks 31st in the league. Suffice to say, they're struggling to stop teams from throwing on them.
Which brings us to Patterson, the Vikings' ridiculously athletic receiver, who was expected to have a breakout season after displaying so much tantalizing ability last year as a rookie.
It hasn't happened, and the frustration mounts as Patterson continues to put up the middling statistics of a decent fourth receiver. The kid has far too much ability to rank 92nd in the league in receiving yards. He's right behind Redskins' backup running back Roy Helu and just ahead of Bills tight end Scott Chandler.
That's not the company he should be keeping.
It's imperative that Patterson start asserting himself. For the Vikings to be successful in the near future, they need him to provide far more to the offense than he's currently contributing.
The Bears have a weak pass defense, and the Vikings are a team on the verge of taking a step forward, but they need Patterson to be a big contributor for that to happen.
X-Factor of the Week: Kyle Rudolph
"Zimmer said Kyle Rudolph looked pretty good. "I think he'll be ready to go." #Vikings
— Master Tesfatsion (@MasterStrib) November 13, 2014"
That tweet from Master Tesfatsion of the Star Tribune is news that Minnesota fans have been waiting to hear for six weeks.
Rudolph has had a pretty frustrating couple of years after winning the Pro Bowl MVP two seasons ago. He missed the second half of last season after breaking his foot and has been out for a month-and-a-half after having surgery to repair a sports hernia this season.
While Chase Ford has played well the last couple of weeks, he's just not the difference-maker that Rudolph is. At 6'6", 255 pounds, he is a huge target and will prove to be a perfect security blanket for Teddy Bridgewater.
After six weeks away, Rudolph may not be ready to be an integral part of Minnesota's offense, but he should make his presence felt in the red zone.
The Vikings, who rank last in the league with just six touchdown passes, will love having their giant tight end back on the field when they delve deep into Chicago territory.
Look for Rudolph to waste little time getting back into the swing of things and get his second touchdown of the season.
Prediction
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If trends mean anything, then the Vikings are in pretty good shape as they look to win their third straight game against a Bears team that has lost three in row and been throttled in the last two.
But wait—if trends mean anything, then things can't possibly look good as Minnesota travels to a place where it has lost six straight games and 12 of the last 13.
The bottom line is that this is a Vikings vs. Bears game, and you can pretty much throw all the trends out the window.
While the Bears seem to be in complete disarray, they'd like nothing more than to get back on track by beating the Vikings. What the Vikings will have to do is jump out early on the Bears, who have shown a tendency to fold up their tent when things aren't going their way.
Right now the Vikings are a team with plenty of potential, but they're still young and tend to have bad stretches in games, especially on offense. A quick start would get them playing with confidence, and they'd have a chance to demoralize a Bears team that's gasping for breath right now.
Look for Teddy Bridgewater to have his best game as a pro and for Jerick McKinnon to continue to play like a lead back. Look for the defense to continue to play well. Jay Cutler will throw for plenty of yards, but he'll also make some mistakes that will lead to turnovers for Minnesota.
Look for the Vikings' ugly losing streak in Chicago to finally come to an end.
Prediction: Vikings 26, Bears 22
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