Vikings vs. Bears: 10 Keys to a Chicago Win on Sunday Night Football

This is a tough time to be a Bears fan, following the Monday night debacle in Detroit. Still, the games will go on as scheduled, and the Bears have an excellent opportunity to return to .500 on the season.

Sunday night in Soldier Field, the Bears will take on the Minnesota Vikings, who are coming off their first win of the season.

After this game, the Bears schedule gets rough, having to travel to London to face the Bucs, and then traveling to the City of Brotherly Love to take on what should be an angry Eagles team.

Then, the Bears return home but have to face the Lions and Chargers before going to Oakland to face an improved Raiders squad.

All that said, the Sunday night tilt versus the Vikes is a game the Bears can't afford to lose if they want to keep their slim wild card hopes alive.

For that to happen, however, some things have to happen. Let me give you 10 of them right now.

Will Julius Peppers Play?

Despite a left knee sprain, the Bears say they hope Peppers can play Sunday night.

The Bears defensive end had to temporarily leave the game in the second quarter on Monday night, but did return, though he was basically a non-factor.

So far, Peppers has 12 tackles and two sacks on the season. And he was held in check by Carolina, who did not even double-team him most of the time.

So even if he does play, will he be effective? He has seemed to really slow down this season and had not played well at all.

Meanwhile, DT Matt Toeaina also got hurt in the game against the Lions, so we may see the first appearance of Stephen Paea, who has been mysteriously absent since being taken by the Bears in the second round of the draft.

Toeaina may miss a couple of weeks with a sprained posterior cruciate ligament.

Cornerback Charles Tillman injured his hip, but he is expected to play Sunday.

If Peppers can't go, perhaps DE Corey Wootton will be able to return form a hand injury he suffered in his first action after returning from surgery that kept him out of the first three games.

Mike Martz Must be Forced to Change the Playbook

Even QB Jay Cutler, who has publicly sided with his offensive coordinator despite taking a beating, said that Martz needs to "tweak" his system to ease the pressure.

Personally, I'd like to tweak Martz right out of town, but since that isn't happening until after the season in all likelihood, I agree that the playbook must change.

So what would those tweaks entail?

Allowing Cutler to roll out and even an occasional bootleg would certainly be helpful. We saw him throw on the run last week in the Lions game, but that was out of desperation and not part of the game plan.

One of the biggest complaints I have about the Martz system is that it limits one of Cutler's greatest strengths by refusing to take advantage of his athleticism. 

Now, if the pocket was allowed to move with him, as we saw Ron Turner do in his final three games as Bears coordinator before Martz joined the team, that would be even better.

Meanwhile, eliminate the seven-step drops and use the shotgun more. Short passing patterns and running the ball more are keys too.

Short crisp passes off three step drops and play action down the field is what Cutler needs more of. After the season, the Bears will probably employ a West Coast offense that is better suited for this team. 

Sit Frank Omiyale and Limit the Mistakes

Frank Omiyale is not a tackle and may not be anything useful at this point. Although he has shown flashes of competence, he should never again be allowed to play tackle.

I know Gabe Carimi is hurt, but changes are in order on this crappy offensive line or Cutler is going to get killed.

Now that the defense isn't playing well, each offensive series is even more important. And this line as it is simply won't get the job done.

J'Marcus Webb is not performing at left tackle either, but it would be awfully difficult to replace both tackles in the span of a week.

Who Mike Tice shuffles in and out of the lineup, however, will be a very challenging task. It's not like the Bears have backup linemen just raring to go.

I could propose a lot of changes, but then the line will struggle until they gel together. But regardless of what you do, do not play Omiyale at tackle.

I know it's not perfect, but I would move Chris Williams back there and move Roberto Garza back to guard. Either that, or use Lance Louis there. Edwin Williams could share time at center with Chris Spencer.

Meanwhile, the line had nine false starts, including two by tight end Kellen Davis, despite the fact the Lions brought four or less rushers.

And speaking of Davis, when you keep a tight end in to block, make sure it's Matt Spaeth and not Davis please. The man cannot block.

Safety Play Has to Improve

The Bears acquired former Patriots safety Brandon Meriweather to shore up the secondary, but he has been nothing but a liability at this point.

Shame on Jerry Angelo for paying this guy more than they would have had to pay Danieal Manning and for expecting him to learn the Cover 2 this quickly.

Look, the man hits hard—perhaps too hard—but Meriweather is more of a freelancer in coverage and Lovie's scheme requires guys to be where they're supposed to be.

Meanwhile, Chris Harris struggled in his return to action Monday night. But he may have still been favoring his injury or was rusty.

Either way, I expect a better performance Sunday night against the Vikings.

In other news, rookie safety Anthony Walters was promoted from the practice squad, which hurts the special teams coverage since Winston Venable has played well there.

He may be active for Sunday night's game, but I don't know if he will see serious action other than special teams. But it shows how desperate the Bears are at the position.

The Bears have started four different safety combinations in five games this season and big plays have hurt the team.

This week will be the fifth combo, with Chris Conte starting alongside Harris this weekend.

Contain Adrian Peterson

The Bears defense has been alarmingly bad versus the run this season, and here comes one of the best in Peterson. That could be a problem for the Bears.

Watching Jahvid Best run virtually untouched through the Bears defense Monday night must make Peterson lick his chops in anticipation.

On the season, he is averaging 4.5 yards per carry, which is just below his career norm (4.8).

Peterson exceeded 100 yards rushing against the Cards and Bucs, and came within two yards of doing the same to San Diego. He is tied for the league lead in TDs as well.

Stopping Peterson is key, because his early scoring was the difference in Vikings only victory last week, as he rushed for three touchdowns in the first quarter.

That quick-strike capability would be devastating to Chicago, as playing from behind is definitely not a strength because then it forces more passing by the Bears offense.

The Bears defense had better wrap him up, because he leads the league in yards after initial contact.

Since 2009 started, Peterson has averaged fewer than four yards per carry against the Bears and the Bears have won three of those four games.

But this year's run defense has been terrible, so a repeat is unlikely.

Vikings DEs vs. Bears Tackles

I spoke about what the offensive line needs to do in an earlier slide, but this one has more to do with specifically stopping the Vikings' DEs, most notably Jared Allen.

Allen is quietly having a huge season for Minnesota. He has 8.5 sacks, one forced fumble and an interception so far.

If Allen is allowed to roam the Bears backfield, Cutler and his offense will be facing a lot of third-and-long situations, and that does not bode well for Chicago.

But containing Allen is a tall order given the state of the Bears offensive line. No one player on that unit matches up well versus Allen, so they may have to double-team him which could leave Brian Robison free to harass Cutler.

Watch the matchup between Allen and Robison against the Bears J'Marcus Webb and whoever is taking Frank Omiyale's place at right tackle.

The Lions defensive ends had little trouble with the Bears tackles on Monday night, and the two Vikings DEs have accounted for the most sacks as a tandem in the NFL so far.

Webb couldn't stop Lawrence Jackson's speed rush on Monday, and Allen is significantly better than Jackson

The Bears will need to max-protect with tight ends and use Forte to chip before entering his pass pattern.  

Vikings WR Percy Harvin vs. Bears' Defense

It's no secret that the Vikings will try to capitalize on the Bears' sinking run defense. But having a deep threat like Percy Harvin helps too.

Since the Bears have to respect Harvin's playmaking ability, that could open up holes for Adrian Peterson to run through.

Conversely, if the Bears put extra defenders in the box and forgets about Harvin, that could be a scary proposition.

I know that Vikings QB Donovan McNabb isn't lighting the world on fire, but he is more than capable of getting the ball into the hand of Harvin.

Harvin sometimes even lines up in the backfield and gets the ball on reverses.

Harvin's usual position is to line up in the slot, and while the Cover 2 is supposed to prevent slot receivers from picking up lots of yardage, that defense hasn't been working well.

Meanwhile, the Bears better also keep an eye on Devin Aromashodu, who is emerging as the Vikings deep threat.

I'm sure that Aromashodu would love to stick it to his former employer.

Matt Forte vs. Vikings Run Defense

The Vikings defense has been stuffing the run, so it could be a long day for Forte. But if he has a big game, that will go a long way towards a win for Chicago.

Minnesota's front seven stopped Jahvid Best cold, and we all saw Best run wild against the Bears on Monday night.

Despite the Vikings' success in stopping the run (2.8 yards per carry avg), the Bears need to commit to running off-tackle and trap plays with Forte.

Turnovers!

I know it's a tired cliche that the Cover 2 defense thrives on takeaways, but it's true.

The problem is that McNabb has thrown just two interceptions all season. But he has been inaccurate  McNabb has completed only 56.8 percent of his passes this season.

The irony is that Minnesota and Chicago are tied in the difference between take-aways and give-aways this year.

The Vikings have had one fewer take-away, but they have committed one less turnover.

But the Bears will need the defense to make a big play or two in order to win this game.

Look for D.J. Moore to be Johnny-on-the-spot Monday night.

Devin Hester Needs to Provide a Spark

No, I'm not talking about Devin Hester-the-receiver, as that is a big bag full of bad.

I'm talking about Hester being the greatest return man in the history of the NFL. If he can bring one to the house on Sunday night, that quick-strike capability would overcome a lot of questionable offense by the Bears.

Vikings special teams coach Mike Priefer still has nightmares about Hester's big day against his Chiefs back in 2007.  

And he now has even more reason to fear Hester. Of Hester’s NFL-record 11 punt return touchdowns, three have come on returns against Vikings punter Chris Kluwe.

But even if they punt the ball high and short or away from Hester, the Bears could end up with good field position.

And despite the new kickoff rules, there were more kicks returned for TDs on opening day than ever.

Bears fans hope that trend continues on Sunday night.