Last Week's Review & This Week's Preview: Vikings @ Bears
- nolanbul2
- Nov 15, 2020
- 11 min read
Updated: Jan 15, 2022
As we all knew coming off of our victory over the Carolina Panthers during Week 6, which made our record an astonishing 5-1, the Chicago Bears were about to head into their toughest stretch of opponents with games against the Los Angeles Rams, New Orleans Saints, and Tennessee Titans. Hopes were high after we topped the Panthers and sat at the top of our division, but there were many questions still to be answered about the ' uncertainty surrounding our team. Their test to see exactly how good they genuinely were was ahead of them for that three-game stretch mentioned above.
Considering both my pre-season predictions and trying to stay in touch with reality, I did not have the most extraordinary feeling heading into those games. Deep down, I was mentally preparing for us to go at least 1-2, which would have put the team at a perfectly acceptable 6-3 record. Anything better than such would have had the rest of Bears nation and I giddy and willing to raise our expectations for the season's remainder.
That would have all been nice, right? Well, now let us fast forward to the present day, as the Bears have won none of those games whatsoever. The past three weeks saw our team and the fanbase go from flirting with potential playoff aspirations and sat comfortably with a satisfying team record to witnessing our offense collapse in similar fashions to last year. At the same time, fans are demanding Head Coach Matt Nagy and General manager Ryan Pace to be fired ASAP and believe the team is nothing but doomed.
It has been an absurd turn of events within recent weeks, but thankfully we have just completed that stretch of playoff-caliber opponents. In this article, I will recap the distasteful loss against the Tennessee Titans and preview our upcoming must-win game against the Minnesota Vikings.
Early Week Prediction: Titans 26 - Bears 17
Actual Score: Titans 24 - Bears 17
The Chicago Bears Defense Deserves A Big Hug
You know how typical Chicago Bears football pans out: the team has an excellent defense that gets ruined and decreased overall potential by a below-average offense. Well, 2020, as especially shown in recent weeks, is no different for the Monsters of the Midway. Although the team had this issue become prominent in the past two years, my peak guilt and sorrow for that unit have finally come after this past week.
The team's stingy pass defense has always been near the top of the league all year long. Other than a few big plays to Titans stud Wide Receiver A.J. Brown, the Bears limited QB Ryan Tannehill to only 158 yards, two touchdowns, and had more incompletions than completions (eleven incompletions, ten completions). Overall, they lived up to their expectations with another excellent outing. Their run defense has been pretty good all year long but has been vulnerable to a handful of Running Backs and has no question been the weaker link than the pass defense. Heading into last Sunday, fans everywhere were worried about Titans Running Back Derrick Henry continuing his (at the time) rushing yard-leading season and stampeding over the Bears. However, that was not precisely the case.
The Bears stepped up from the beginning and prevented Henry from doing severe damage to them. Other than one 26-yard run, the defense keyed in on Henry and put up a fantastic effort against him by allowing only 68 yards and no touchdowns. Remember, we are talking about an unstoppable force who is a human bowling ball at Running Back. If you take away his 26-yard run, he would have had only 42 yards and still no endzone trips. Keep in mind that he had a characteristically heavy workload of 21 carries, too, so his actual yard-per-carry total was at 3.2. Based on how unreal Henry is as a player, the momentum that he has been carrying heading into the game, and the good but occasionally leaky Bears run defense at hand, that is utterly impressive in my eyes.
Akiem Hicks Stuffing Derrick Henry At The Line Of Scrimmage Last Week (Credit: SI.com)
But you know what the sad reality of that is? No one has been talking about how fantastic the defense as a whole played based on how utterly pathetic the offense has played. Fans have been (and will continue) to nag on about how brutal the offense has recently performed. Do not get me wrong; the offense deserves EVERY bit of criticism that has been thrown at them. I mean, when the most exciting and effective play of the day with the ball in our hands comes from a Linebacker (Barkevious Mingo) on a 4th-down fake speaks volume's about your team's performance. Have I mentioned that our offense did not enter the end zone until the third quarter's final play?
The Bears had a chance to catch a break and take advantage of a below-average defense in the Tennessee Titans and did not put up a fight until they assembled a pair of meaningless, garbage-time touchdowns late in the game. We are used to a porous offense, but it is fair to ask yourself how much of this you can take.
If you think we, as fans, are pissed, can you imagine the defensive players who are thriving as a unit and keeping the opportunity alive for the offense to do their part and try to win on their end? They do everything they can, and kudos to them, but unless the offense is injected with an immense spark or miracle to make them play average-at-best, they seemed doomed to have another great season wasted down the drain.
State Of The Opponent: Minnesota Vikings
For the first time since Week 1, the Bears finally cross paths with a division foe as the Minnesota Vikings come to town for a Monday night showdown. The Vikings were picked by many, including yours truly, to win the NFC North heading into the season. A team full of talent and coming off of a playoff campaign the previous year, the Vikings seemed to be the safe pick to win the division, and that is the route that I went with for my predictions.
Next thing you know, the season strolls along, and we witness the Vikings lose three-straight games out of the gate and proceed to start the year 1-5. Fans were startled to see such a talented team look so out of place and uncharacteristically bad based on their record. Head Coach Mike Zimmer's seat became hotter as the team was able to make a top-10 draft selection if nothing would change.
Fortunately for them, changes occurred, and the timing could arguably not have been more vital. After their 1-5 start, the Vikings ran their way past division rivals in back-to-back games, as they defeated the Green Bay Packers and then the Detroit Lions last week. And by "the Vikings," I genuinely mean Running Back Dalvin Cook.
*Insert Dalvin Cook Pun Here*
In case you have not heard, Dalvin Cook has been the hottest player in the NFL. The Florida State product currently leads the league with 858 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 19 broken tackles while all second in yards per carry (6.0), yards after contact (454), and scrimmage yards (1031). A good chunk of those stats came from those victories over the past two weeks, as Cook compiled 369 rushing yards and six total touchdowns (five rushing, one receiving). You read those correctly; those were his past two weeks alone. I do not care if those numbers were against two awful run defenses; you must give full credit where credit is due with Cook.
Dalvin Cook Entering The Endzone With Ease After A 70-Yard Touchdown Run Last Week
(Credit: MLive.com)
Ever since his rookie year, no one has ever doubted the talent that Cook possesses; the problem has frequently been injuries so far in his young career. Other than getting banged up in their Week 5 loss to the Seattle Seahawks and eventually missing their loss to the Atlanta Falcons the following week, Cook has been healthy all year long.
Although he is on a rival team, I am thrilled to see Cook succeed the way he is and living up to his true potential. I have seen enough of "tHe CoOk Is CoOkInG" in articles and over social media, but he has deserved every bit of hype and attention at the moment. I have been a big fan of Cook coming out of college and thought he would immediately succeed in the league. There is a reason why I drafted him in all three of my Fantasy Football leagues that year. It has taken a little longer for us to see him come full circle, and let us hope he can remain healthy for the remainder of the year.
Vikings QB Kirk Cousins has not been the best player this season, especially when considering his near-league leading ten interceptions thrown. But he has been able to find Wide Receivers Adam Thielen and soaring rookie Justin Jefferson frequently and is also coming off two straight safe and steady outings. Cook has been able to keep pressure off his QB, and they look to continue their recent ways against the Bears this week.
The Reason Why Minnesota Is Still Under .500%
Last week, I pointed out how the Tennessee Titans defense is under performing and is certainly beatable. Based on how the game results turned out, it is crucial to think and proceed with caution.
The Minnesota Vikings defense went from being one of the most reliable and talented units over the past few years to becoming an open channel for offenses to go through at great extents. They are bottom half in the league in terms of their run defense but are near the complete bottom of the league in almost every pass defense category there is to offer. They currently give up the third-most passing yards per game (287.1) and allow the fourth-most total yards per game in the league (412.9).
They still have elite names across the board, such as Linebacker Eric Kendricks and Safeties Harrison Smith and Anthony Harris. But their sack leader, off-season acquisition Yannick Ngakoue (five sacks), was traded to the Baltimore Ravens in a surprising move, and their star Defensive End Danielle Hunter underwent season-ending neck surgery weeks ago. They played admirably against Lions QB Matthew Stafford last week, but a unit as bad as the Vikings defense cannot be trusted. Yet, their upcoming opponent on the opposite side of the ball cannot be trusted either.
With the unit's talent, it would not shock me if they began to improve as the season pans out. But based on what we have already seen, they have to crawl out of a deep hole to fix their issues and flow consistently.
State Of The Bears
Doesn't that last paragraph sound familiar with our very won team? Why yes, it does: based on what we have already seen, the Bears offense has to crawl out of a deep hole to fix their issues and flow consistently.
Unlike the Vikings defense, the problem with that notion is that the Bears lack legit players (not named Allen Robinson, at least) on the offensive side of the ball. Hardly anyone inspires fans to feel confident about their unit. Is it a lack of talent? Is it the astonishingly awful coaching? Is it the injuries/players unavailable due to Covid, which exposes the team's lack of depth at its disposal? If you guessed all of the above, you would be correct! Fans (including myself) are pointing fingers left and right at all of those issues and are wondering who is most to blame. It is hard to figure out any answers for the team's offensive struggles, as you cannot help but wonder what it would take to fix such a mess.
Well, Friday afternoon provided Bears fans with an update on a potential change, one that we knew needed to happen but still seemed shocked that it occurred...
A New Play-Caller Is In Town
It happened, folks! Matt Nagy decided to no longer appear stubborn and finally gave his offensive play-calling duties to Offensive Coordinator Bill Lazor.
Nick Foles And Bill Lazor On The Sidelines Together At Soldier Field (Credit: The Athletic)
Lazor is in his first year with the Chicago Bears and under Matt Nagy. Despite not being the team's play-caller, he has previous experience under the role. From 2014-2015, he was the Offensive Coordinator for the Miami Dolphins while having the same role with the Cincinnati Bengals from 2017-2018. In his first year with the Dolphins (2014), his unit finished in the upper half of the league with 11th in total points scored. Since then, he has not found much success, as he never had a unit finish over 17th in the same category since.
Lazor will have the strenuous task to fix the horrendous clutter of a unit that is the Bears offense. Based on his track record, it is difficult to have much faith in Lazor, but even a legit offensive guru would have a tough time trying to fix this offense. What matters is that a change was finally made; a breath of fresh air will fill the team in hopes of a spark being given to them.
Lazor deserves all of the luck in the world. He must also work with a depleted Running Back room, as David Montgomery will be out with a concussion. Fellow Running Backs Ryan Nall, Cordarelle Patterson, Artavis Pierce, and Practice Squad call-up Lamar Miller are expected to combine and fill in for Monty.
I would be lying if I said my confidence was high, but a switch in play-caller was drastically needed, and it seems impossible for the offense to look worse than what they have shown so far.
My Pre-Season Prediction For This Game: Bears Win
My Pick Now: Bears Win
Final Score: Bears 22 - Vikings 18
I feel foolish making this prediction; I do not know how or why I give the Bears any of my precious patience whatsoever. Part of it must be that I do not want to give up just yet, but it is hard to argue with each team's momentum at the moment.
I will stick with my gut and pick the Bears to win this one. Thanks to what the Bears defense did to a player like Derrick Henry, they give me hope that they can slow down Dalvin Cook. Sure, Cook could still manage to get near 100 yards and/or a touchdown, but I have faith the Bears, at the very least, not allowing Cook to run all over them. On the other hand, I hardly worry about how our pass defense will fare against Kirk Cousins and company. Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson may be an intimidating duo, but if the Bears can especially put up significant pressure against Cousins, I expect them to have a good performance.
Of course, it all comes down (get ready for your jaw to be dropped in shock) to our offense. What will the effect of Lazor have on our offense? Will it be enough? Will our depleted Offensive Line look like a complete dumpster fire again? Man questions, per usual, are needed to be answered.
A Must-Win Game Is Upon Us
If you could not determine already, the Bears have been trending in the wrong direction recently. We start the year on a shocking yet phenomenal note filled with potential playoff aspirations. Now we are questioning if we can still hang onto any playoff hopes.
Unfortunately, the worst-case scenario over the past three weeks came true as we have lost all games, forcing us to go to 5-4. Even with an additional wild-card spot added to each conference, the Bears are now in a much worse position than they were last month and will have a much more difficult path to the playoffs if they wish to have a chance to make it.
A Summary Of Bears Fan's Mood Heading Into Monday Night (Credit: Chicago Tribune)
After this week, the Bears will finally have their bye week come up. If the Bears can top the Vikings, we will have a 6-4 record and head into the bye without a humiliating four-game losing streak. However, if the Bears lose, we will go from 5-1 to suddenly become 5-5 and dwindle from the playoff picture. 6-4 may not be what we expected after what we saw to start the year from Chicago, but at this point, I will accept it given what we have recently gone through. This will be a make or break game for me: if they lose, I will more than likely lose all faith in any hopes for the team to play football in January.
If you read through this whole article, pat yourself on the back because you are a gem. While you are at it, please feel free to let me know what you think and tap the heart icon at the bottom, if you wish.
Thank You and Bear Down!
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