Chicago Bears Insider: Five Dos and Five Don'ts for Monday Night

The Bears are on the verge of earning a playoff spot on Monday night with a win over the Minnesota Vikings and a loss by the Green Bay Packers.

The Bears already know the outcome of the Green Bay game (a loss to the Patriots), so they will have that much more motivation to win this game.

But they can’t get caught in a trap in this game. They have to play their best in order to win and potentially win the NFC North.

The following is a look five things that the Bears should do on Monday night in their game against the Vikings and five things that they should avoid doing in that same game.

The Bears Should Run the Ball As Much As Possible

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CHICAGO, IL - DECEMBER 12: Matt Forte #22 of the Chicago Bears avoids a tackle attempt by Jermaine Cunningham #96 of the New England Patriots at Soldier Field on December 12, 2010 in Chicago, Illinois. The Patriots defeated the Bears 36-7. (Photo by Jonat

This might sound like something that I say over and over again, but the key to any team’s success in any game is its rushing attack.

A team that has a lot of success running, especially in colder weather like the Bears will be playing in, will win those games because it gets hard to pass the ball in those conditions.

If the Bears run the ball with success on Monday night, they are sure to win.

The Bears Can’t Let the Vikings Control the Ball and the Clock

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DETROIT, MI - DECEMBER 13: Lorenzo Booker #27 of the Minnesota Vikings tries to get around the tackle during a kick off return of Dave Tollefson #71 of the New York Giants at Ford Field on December 13, 2010 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/

Vikings running back Adrian Peterson is going to start this game even though he is injured (ankle and knee injuries), and in the past Peterson has found great success running against the Bears.

Chicago’s defense needs to make sure that Peterson doesn’t have a field day against their defense. In the first meeting between these two teams, the Bears held Peterson to about 50 yards, so hopefully they can do that again on Monday night.

The Bears Need to Get Back to Their Short Passing Game

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DETROIT - DECEMBER 05: Earl Bennett #80 of the Chicago Bears catches a 12 yard pass for a first down as Louis Delmas #26 of the Detroit Lions makes the stop during the game at Ford Field on December 5, 2010 in Detroit, Michigan. The Bears defeated the Lio

Remember when the Bears had a lot of success throwing shorter passes to guys like Earl Bennett and Johnny Knox? They got away from that in their last game (against New England) and may want to get back to throwing those short passes.

Not only do those short passes exploit weaknesses in the opposing team's defense (by finding creases that take the receiver right through an exposed part of the defense), but they also help provide quarterback Jay Cutler a way to get rid of the ball quickly. These passes are a good way to convert third downs as well.

The Bears Can’t Let Joe Webb Beat Them

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MINNEAPOLIS - SEPTEMBER 2: Joe Webb #14 of the Minnesota Vikings passes the ball during warmups prior to an NFL preseason game against the Denver Broncos at the Mall of America Field at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, on September 2, 2010 in Minneapolis, M

Sure, it’s a third-string quarterback, but remember what the Lions' Drew Stanton did to the Bears in the first half of their game just two weeks ago?

Chicago’s defense can’t let Joe Webb and his receivers catch passes all over the field and control the ball. This means that Chicago’s front four on defense have to get a lot of pressure on Webb and force him to make mistakes, which can happen because this is his first start.

The Bears Need to Protect Jay Cutler

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CHICAGO, IL - DECEMBER 12: Jay Cutler #6 of the Chicago Bearsruns for a first down against the New England Patriots at Soldier Field on December 12, 2010 in Chicago, Illinois. The Patriots defeated the Bears 36-7. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

The Bears have had some problems protecting quarterback Jay Cutler all season long, but they need to protect him in this game for a couple of reasons.

Of course, they will want to protect him to be able to keep the ball moving and keep the passing game going as needed, but perhaps more important is the fact that they need to keep him from getting beat up and potentially concussed on that hard TCF Bank Stadium turf.

It’s important that Cutler not bang his head hard on that field because he has already had one concussion this year, and he is much more susceptible to suffering a second concussion.

It’s important that he is doesn’t suffer a concussion at this stage in the season because it could really hurt the Bears' chances in the playoffs.

The Bears Can’t Let the Weather Get to Them

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MINNEAPOLIS, MN - DECEMBER 15: Heavy machinery removes snow from the field as TCF Bank Stadium prepares for a potential monday night football game between the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears on December 15, 2010 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Preparations

There are those that say that the Bears proved last week against the New England Patriots that they can’t win in cold weather. That loss really didn’t have much to do with the weather though, as the Bears were bested by a much more superior team.

The Bears cannot let the weather get to them mentally (it’s supposed to be around 20 degrees with snow falling to accumulations of around three to five inches), so let’s hope they learned those important lessons from their last game and don’t let the weather get to them on Monday night.

Chicago’s Defense Needs to Play Tough and Disciplined

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CHICAGO, IL - DECEMBER 12: Julius Peppers #90 of the Chicago Bears rushes against Matt Light #72 of the New England Patriots at Soldier Field on December 12, 2010 in Chicago, Illinois. The Patriots defeated the Bears 36-7. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty

Their game against the Patriots showed us that the Bears' Cover 2 defense needs to be working well (with pressure coming from the front four) in order to be successful.

It failed them last Sunday and can’t fail them on Monday night. They need to play some of their best defense of the season, not let the cold get to them and keep the Vikings from winning this game. 

Chicago Can’t Make Mistakes on Offense

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CHICAGO, IL - DECEMBER 12: Devin Hester #23 of the Chicago Bears is tackled by Sergio Brown #38 and Dane Fletcher #52 of the New England Patriots at Soldier Field on December 12, 2010 in Chicago, Illinois. The Patriots defeated the Bears 36-7. (Photo by J

The Bears have a habit of making mistakes on offense from time to time, so they are going to want to be sure that they don’t give up the ball and waste critical scoring opportunities.

The field conditions will be less than stellar, that we know, so running backs, quarterbacks and receivers need to hold on to the ball and not give it to the Vikings. Scoring opportunities will be very limited in this game, and the Bears will need as many as they can possibly get.

The Bears Need to Win to Get into the Playoffs

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CHICAGO, IL - DECEMBER 12: Lance Briggs #55 of the Chicago Bears rushes against Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots at Soldier Field on December 12, 2010 in Chicago, Illinois. The Patriots defeated the Bears 36-7. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Ima

Of course this is obvious, but there can’t be any stressing the fact that the Bears have to win this game. The Packers did their part (in losing to the Patriots), so it’s now time for the Bears to win tonight’s game, secure the NFC North crown and get into the playoffs.

It’s the easiest way that they can win the division, so let’s hope that they are able to win and achieve one of their goals for the season.

Head Coach Lovie Smith Can’t Let His Players Go into This Game Unmotivated

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CHICAGO, IL - DECEMBER 12: Head coach Lovie Smith of the Chicago Bears throws his red flag to challenge an official's call against the New England Patriots at Soldier Field on December 12, 2010 in Chicago, Illinois. The Patriots beat the Bears 36-7. (Ph

It is said by some that Smith gave a strong and powerful speech the night before the Bears lost to the Patriots. While that didn’t work, he may need to use his way with words again this week.

His team needs to know that they cannot let field conditions get them down and that they need to win this game in order to win their division. Smith needs to instill that in his players as they prepare to try to achieve their goal of winning the North and getting into the playoffs.