Minnesota Vikings Vs. Chicago Bears: 10 Keys To The Monday Night Matchup
The blueprint for success for the Chicago Bears really hasn't changed very much, so if some of these slides seem to be somewhat of a repeat, that's understandable.
After all, this is a Bears team that wins on the strength of its defense and special teams, while trying to limit mistakes on the offensive side of the ball.
Coming off of a horrendous performance against the Patriots last Sunday, the Bears find themselves with a golden opportunity to get back on track against the Vikings on Monday night at TCF Bank Stadium.
This is a Vikings team that comes in with a new coach in Leslie Frazier (who just happens to be an ex-Bear) trying to impress the front office in hopes of turning his interim tag into a permanent one after the season.
But for the Bears, the game holds much more immediate impact, as a victory may guarantee the division title. The Packers play the same New England team that destroyed the Bears and will have to do it without starting QB Aaron Rodgers. Good luck with that one, Green Bay.
So Chicago will likely walk onto the frozen turf at the University of Minnesota knowing that a win will secure the team a playoff bid.
Meanwhile, let's walk through the 10 keys to the game.
Focus On The Vikings, Not The Venue
1 of 10
Much has been said and written this week about the decision to move the game to TCF Bank Stadium, a move necessitated by a partial roof collapse at the Metrodome.
Lance Briggs said he shakes his head at the decision and questions why the league fines players for bad hits out of safety concerns yet allows teams to play on a frozen surface.
Well, since the Bears apparently can't fight city hall about this, they need to quit worrying about the weather, the field, and all of that nonsense and instead focus on the game. For the Vikings are loose and have a lot of talent, even if they may be starting an untested QB.
The Bears can't afford to let distractions get in the way of their preparation, because both teams have to play under the same conditions and these Vikings could sneak in an upset victory if the Bears don't play well.
Tackle, Tackle, Tackle
2 of 10
It's been the same problem throughout the first half of the Lions game and the entire game against the Patriots: the Bears tackling has been terrible.
They need to wrap up and make sure they get guys to the ground in order to limit the gains caused by missed tackles. Granted, Lovie Smith always preaches stripping the ball, but the defense needs to focus on making the stop first.
While the Vikings QB may be bad, they still have a running back that is dangerous and if the defense fails to wrap him up on the first hit, the offense may prove to be a challenge for Chicago despite the mismatch at QB.
Stop Adrian Peterson
3 of 10
The Bears defense did a fine job of limiting the great Vikings running back during the first matchup against Minnesota and the Bears can expect an even heavier dose of Peterson if Minny is forced to start an untested QB on Monday night.
In the past, Peterson has burned the Bears, but on Nov. 14, they limited the Vikings back to a 3.0 yard average and only 51 yards.
Sure, he's a great back, but with the Vikings being even more one dimensional on offense now, the Bears can stack the line to stop Peterson and dare the Vikings to throw the ball.
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Joe Webb? Really?
4 of 10
Once again, the horseshoe is firmly up the backside of Lovie Smith's Bears as they once again face a third-string QB in unheralded Joe Webb. They took advantage of a similar situation in Miami, shutting them out, and need to do the same against the Vikings.
Backup QB Tarvaris Jackson (turf toe) is done for the season, so Webb makes his first career NFL start. This is a guy who wasn't even drafted as a QB originally, he was a receiver.
That's not to say he can't throw the ball, but obviously it's a tough situation coming into your first start against the Bears in bad weather conditions.
Now the Vikings did sign veteran Patrick Ramsey this week, but Webb took the first-team snaps in practice so it is unlikely that Ramsey will be doing much more than holding a clipboard Monday night.
But even if Ramsey does play, this won't help Minnesota as the veteran hasn't started a game since 2005.
Meanwhile, there doesn't seem to be a snowball's chance in hell that Brett Favre plays on Monday night, but stranger things have happened.
Still, no matter which of these guys plays, this should be a tremendous advantage for the Bears defense.
Jay Cutler Must Limit His Mistakes
5 of 10
As usual, one of the ongoing themes to Monday's game is for the Bears QB to be a game manager.
Now, that's certainly not what the Bears expected when they traded for Cutler, and is not what Mike Martz wants to do, but the Bears really have no choice.
With a rookie QB starting for Minnesota and the inclement weather and bad field, all the Bears offense needs to do is to make short throws and limit the poor decisions that plague Cutler into throwing interceptions. The only way the Bears lose is if they beat themselves.
Continue to roll Cutler out of the pocket, make shorter drops and high percentage passes and we're all good. But if Cutler is forced to do five- and seven-step drops and holds the ball too long, we could be in for a long night.
The Bears’ record is 17-4 when they don’t commit a turnover in Lovie Smith’s seven seasons as coach.
A Little Pressure Can Be a Good Thing
6 of 10
With a rookie starting QB, it is easy to assume that the Bears will see a heavy dose of Peterson on Monday night. However, when Webb does throw the ball, it would be helpful to get a pass rush on the man.
Julius Peppers did not have much impact against the Patriots, Yes, he did have a sack and two tackles for a loss, but for much of the time when the game was still in question (which admittedly wasn't very long) he didn't generate much pressure.
The same is true for Israel Idonije. Brian Urlacher played a decent game but really, it's hard to say that anyone did much of anything positive in a game like that.
So it's safe to say that while the Vikings are not as good as the Pats, another performance like last week may not be good enough for the Bears.
Offensive Line Needs Help To Block Jared Allen
7 of 10
Jared Allen says he's motivated to play spoiler. ESPNChicago.com reported the following from Allen:
"Make sure they don't get it on you. You don't want to be the team that allows a team to win something," Allen said of his 5-8 Vikings. "We're out here to spoil everybody's parade, and I think it's important for us to strive to get to 8-8. You have to find something positive in this mess and strive for it.
"One big thing is we've got the Chicago Bears, a division rival coming in, not necessarily our home field, but our home state. We need to put on a good performance for our fans."
Even in a so-called "down" year, Allen has 9.5 sacks (more than Peppers) and 35 solo tackles (equal to Peppers) and should be trying to improve his stats for his next contract.
He has only one sack in his last seven games and knows he is under pressure to prove that he has not lost a step.
Remember, he had two sacks in Week 10 against the Bears, so a weak offensive line may be just what he needs to get back on track. The Bears need to provide help to ensure that doesn't come to fruition.
Turnovers Are Key
8 of 10
Now, this may seem obvious to anyone who has watched the Bears this season, but their entire defense is predicated on generated take-aways.
Earlier, I told you that they need to focus on tackling, and while that's true, the defense may need to take the ball away in order to compensate for a suspect Bears offense.
Besides, against a rookie QB they should get some picks, right?
It's Time For Devin Hester To Return One For a TD
9 of 10
Devin Hester has five TDs, three receiving, two punt returns, against the Vikings. And, he has four career TDs on Monday Night Football on two punt and two kick returns (stats courtesy of WSCR's Zach Zaidman).
But it's been a while since he's returned one for a TD and Monday night would be a welcome time for Hester to flash his considerable skills.
He has been terrific, and really, Dave Taub's unit has been great all season, even if they did slip up a bit on coverage against New England. Still, a return from Hester just feels like it's coming and in front of a national audience, Hester should be pumped to do just that.
Final Score Prediction: Bears 21, Vikings 10
10 of 10
OK this tenth slide isn't exactly a "key" to the game, but enough of the obvious stuff, it's time to make a prediction and a confession.
While I picked a Bears win in last week's piece, I really wasn't convinced at all. This week, however, I am much more confident even though the field conditions make this game scary as anything can happen on a night like the Bears and Vikes are going to face.
Still, the Bears will win. I guarantee it. While I don't think the Bears offense will be able to do much, I do feel that the Vikings offense will be much worse.
Look, the Vikings are starting a rookie QB and facing a solid Bears defense, even if that defense didn't show up against the Pats.
The Bears win this game running the ball, not turning it over while getting two picks, on their way to the NFC North division title. I'll go with 21-10 and even 10 points might be giving the Vikings offense too much credit.
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