Vikings vs. Bears: What's the Game Plan for Minnesota?

The Minnesota Vikings will finish off a short road trip against the Chicago Bears this Sunday with an eye on their first victory at Soldier Field in almost a decade.

Chicago has gone through significant organizational changes since these teams last met during the final week of the 2014 regular season. The Bears began a flurry of offseason moves by firing general manager Phil Emery, head coach Marc Trestman, offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer and defensive coordinator Mel Tucker just one day after their season ended.

They hired Ryan Pace shortly after the turn of the new year to replace Emery. In his first major move as general manager of the Bears, he hired John Fox as the 15th head coach in team history.

Pace then hired Former Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase and former San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Vic Fangio in the same roles to complete Chicago's coaching overhaul, but the new GM was far from done.

He traded Brandon Marshall to the New York Jets prior to the beginning of free agency to shed salary-cap space, breaking up the lethal wide receiver combination of him and Alshon Jeffery.

During free agency, Pace added linebacker Pernell McPhee, safety Antrel Rolle, cornerback Tracy Porter and wide receiver Eddie Royal, among others, in an effort to accommodate the new schemes installed by Fox and his staff.

Mike Zimmer and his staff will need to be prepared for a variety of new Bears personnel this season, but familiar faces such as quarterback Jay Cutler, running back Matt Forte and tight end Martellus Bennett still play instrumental roles in the success of this team.

Offensive Game Plan

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The Bears' defensive scheme and personnel have changed dramatically since they visited TCF Bank Stadium last December. During this past offseason, Fox and Fangio switched Chicago's base defense to a 3-4 alignment, which required significant adjustments in personnel.

While the Bears defense will attack much differently this year, this shouldn't change Minnesota's offensive game plan too much. In fact, the change may actually benefit the Vikings, as a significant change in base alignment tends to require more time to develop than a single offseason.

Minnesota will continue to be a run-first offense against the Bears, but Adrian Peterson may see a bit of a reduced role. He has already been limited to almost exclusively an early-down role, as his issues in pass protection have forced Norv Turner to replace him with Matt Asiata on third downs.

Furthermore, Jerick McKinnon and Asiata have run the ball much more efficiently than Peterson out of the shotgun formation, which not only helps Teddy Bridgewater function at a higher level but also allows Turner to be more creative calling plays.

Running the ball will remain the primary goal, but the Vikings will likely attack the Bears through the air at a high rate as well, as Chicago's cornerback situation has been a disaster this season.

According to Pro Football Focus, four different Bears cornerbacks have received more than 100 pass-coverage snaps this season—Kyle Fuller, Tracy Porter, Alan Ball and Sherrick McManis—with Porter allowing the lowest quarterback rating at 103.

Additionally, all four have allowed at least two touchdown passes and a combined total of 12. By comparison, Minnesota's entire cornerback group has allowed a total of four touchdowns, with Xavier Rhodes being the only one who is allowing opposing quarterbacks a rating north of 100.

Chicago's coverage issues in combination with the emergence of rookie Stefon Diggs should allow Minnesota to stretch the field vertically. Including Mike Wallace, the Vikings now boast two legitimate threats at the wide receiver position, presenting a major challenge for a Bears secondary that lacks even one consistent cover cornerback.

Expect plenty of shotgun this weekend, as Turner takes aim at the Bears' woeful defensive secondary.

Defensive Game Plan

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Coming off a masterful second-half performance against Detroit last weekend, the Vikings defense will look to continue its run of success against the Bears. Per usual, Zimmer's defense will center on stopping the run and putting pressure on the quarterback.

While the Bears defense has gone through major changes this season, the offense remains similar. The multidimensional Forte remains its life force, playing a key role both as a rusher and as a receiver.

His ability to catch the ball out of the backfield will be a major concern for the Vikings, as linebackers Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks have been abysmal in coverage this season.

According to Pro Football Focus, the Lions targeted Barr and Kendricks a combined nine times last week, connecting on nine receptions for 153 yards and one touchdown.

In addition to Forte, the Bears also feature a big, athletic tight end in Bennett. After watching Eric Ebron catch all five of his targets for 89 yards and a touchdown last week, Chicago will be sure to test Minnesota in this area as well.

The Vikings aligned slot cornerback Captain Munnerlyn on Ebron last week on occasion, but Minnesota will need to utilize him in coverage against Royal, Chicago's slot wide receiver. As a result, slowing down Bennett will primarily fall on the shoulders of Barr and Kendricks as well, which makes their improvement in coverage critical to a successful defensive performance this week.

Simply, the Vikings need to be better against underneath routes. Efficient tackling combined with a good four-man pass rush will force Chicago to attempt deeper route combinations, exposing its greatest weakness—Cutler's tendency to turn over the football.

The Vikings should be expected to have Rhodes shadow Jeffery, which will allow Harrison Smith to roam freely in zone coverage. Taking away underneath routes and putting pressure on Cutler will force him to make quick decisions while throwing the ball downfield, creating a higher rate of overthrown or errant pass attempts.

Expect Minnesota to operate primarily out of the nickel and use a high blitz rate, as Zimmer sets his sights on a multiple-turnover performance from his defense.

Key Players

Kyle Rudolph, Tight End, Minnesota Vikings

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The Vikings managed to put a healthy 28 points on the scoreboard against Detroit last week, but they could have scored even more had it not been for their offensive struggles in the red zone. Despite being a bit of a disappointment to date this season, Rudolph has been Minnesota's greatest weapon in this area of the field.

According to NFLSavant.com, Bridgewater has targeted his big tight end seven times inside the opposition's 20-yard line. Rudolph has rewarded his quarterback's trust with three touchdown catches—two more than any other Minnesota pass-catcher.

With little else working for the Vikings' red-zone offense, Rudolph should be the go-to option in these situations against the Bears. Given the significant difference between a touchdown and a field goal, how he fares in this regard will influence the outcome of this game.

Matt Forte, Running Back, Chicago Bears

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Forte has been critical to Chicago's success since he entered the league in 2008, and this hasn't changed in the least bit this season. His ability to make plays both as a runner and as a pass-catcher has made him arguably the most important player in the Bears offense.

Barr's and Kendricks' struggles in coverage this season make Forte an even greater weapon for the Bears this weekend. However, if the Vikings can find a way to hold him in check, the Chicago offense will struggle to get into a rhythm and be forced to rely more on the mistake-prone Cutler.

Anthony Barr, Linebacker, Minnesota Vikings

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As previously noted, Barr has struggled in pass coverage this season.

According to Pro Football Focus, Detroit targeted him five times in pass coverage this past weekend. He allowed all five balls to be caught, which resulted in 86 yards and one touchdown. 

These issues in coverage have plagued him all season, as 84 percent of the passes thrown in his direction have resulted in receptions, per PFF. Chicago's offense is largely centered on Forte and Bennett, which should result in Barr facing a high number of targets Sunday.

Minnesota has benefited from his skills as a pass-rusher, but how Barr (and Kendricks) fare in coverage could play an even greater role this week.

Kyle Fuller, Cornerback, Chicago Bears

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Since Diggs emerged three weeks ago as a major offensive weapon, the Vikings have been much more successful throwing the ball. Furthermore, Peterson's struggles with consistency have forced Minnesota to utilize its passing attack on a more regular basis.

These developments in Minnesota's offense will put pressure on Fuller to perform at a high level this weekend, something he hasn't done much of this season. According to Pro Football Focus, the second-year cornerback has allowed 18 receptions on 25 targets (72 percent), which have amounted to 217 yards and four touchdowns.

With Diggs playing at a high level and Wallace always a threat to burn teams deep, how Chicago's top cornerback performs this weekend should dictate the outcome of this game.

Prediction: Vikings 30, Bears 13

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Not a lot has changed since I predicted a 21-point Vikings romp in the game preview posted earlier this week. According to Odds Shark, the line for this matchup is set at even, which is a bit ironic because there are seemingly very few things "even" about this NFC North matchup.

Minnesota's well-documented losing streak at Soldier Field is an obvious concern, but this should not be used as hard evidence when analyzing this specific matchup. Home-field advantage likely played a role to some degree, but it definitely was not the only reason.

Despite the Vikings making two more postseason appearances than the Bears over the past eight years, Chicago has arguably fielded the superior team more often than not. Minnesota had relied almost exclusively on Peterson for its victories during this time frame. The only true exceptions to this are the 2009-10 Brett Favre-led teams, as well as last season when Peterson spent the vast majority of the year suspended.

This time, however, the Bears are in the midst of a transitional phase, and the Vikings are bringing their first well-rounded roster to Soldier Field in more than half a decade. 

Chicago's depth chart still features multiple talented players, but significant holes along both lines and a defensive secondary with more issues than assets are flaws that play right into the teeth of Minnesota's roster. Even if the Vikings continue to struggle in the red zone on Sunday, they should be able to exploit these flaws with enough consistency to score a relatively high number of points while keeping the Bears offense in check.

The Vikings roll to a substantial 30-13 victory behind a strong showing by Bridgewater, a more consistent outing from Peterson and another defensive masterpiece coordinated by Zimmer, putting their Soldier Field losing streak in the past and establishing themselves as a realistic threat to reach the postseason.

All statistics courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.

For more Vikings news, statistics and discussion, find me on Twitter @RobertReidellBT.