![]() The Vikings have lost half of their games this year on the final play of the game. What the Bears do have in their favor is this. Who knows what they’ll look like on Monday night. And then they nearly went scoreless in the second half of that game. They’re ranked 29th in total offense but scored 20 points in the first half against Green Bay. Offensively, the Bears lack an identity and they lack consistency. Fortunately, Thielen is questionable to play for Minnesota due to an ankle injury, and the Bears would be lucky if he sits out. Thielen and Jefferson put the Bears secondary at a disadvantage since there’s two of them and Chicago only has one good cornerback in Jaylon Johnson. Pittsburgh a week ago) and two excellent receivers in Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen. But, he’s got Dalvin Cook (200 yard rushing performance vs. That’s not great for a team hoping to spoil Minnesota’s late-season playoff push.įor the Vikings, Kirk Cousins is the best quarterback in the NFL at being the worst quarterback in the NFL as soon as you start to believe he’s pretty good. The Bears have 12 players and three coaches on the COVID-19/Reserve list as of Thursday. COVID truly deserves the win this week, sadly. But given the Bears’ shuffling on the offensive line again with Larry Borom and Jason Peters out, plus knowing Matt Nagy will likely have his hands full without his three coordinators, I can’t see the Bears digging deep to find a win. Still, neither one of these teams seems to know how to play a complete game. Cook returned from injury last week to power the Vikings to a win against the Pittsburgh Steelers and are coming off extended rest, the third opponent in a row getting that benefit when playing the Bears. The Vikings have a formula to win, however, when they feed Dalvin Cook and the running game. I can easily see that in this one, despite the Bears being undermanned. ![]() The Vikings have had one of the most bizarre seasons in recent memory, where every game sees a crazy comeback and lead change at some point. Truthfully, I was going to pick the Bears to win this game if not for the crazy COVID cases. But the games must go on in the NFL’s eyes! It’s doubled what the Minnesota Vikings are experiencing. As of now, the Bears have 13 players on the reserve/COVID-19 list and all three of their coordinators. We have no idea who is going to be available and who will be able to be out on the field. The fact COVID is running through NFL teams faster than it takes Jakeem Grant to run a punt return for a touchdown makes picking this game quite difficult. While Chicago doesn’t stand a chance at making the postseason, they could play spoiler against Minnesota. The Bears are headed for an offseason of chance while the Vikings are still competing for a wild-card spot. While Chicago and Minnesota both have losing records right now, both teams are headed in different directions. There is some encouraging news on defense as Akiem Hicks is gearing up for his return and Roquan Smith looks like he won’t be hampered by reaggravating his hamstring. ![]() And it certainly doesn’t help that, with offensive coordinator Bill Lazor on the COVID list, it looks like Matt Nagy will be back calling plays. The Bears will likely be without both starting tackles in Jason Peters and Larry Borom, which leaves Teven Jenkins and perhaps Elijah Wilkinson to protect Justin Fields against a Vikings pass rush that leads the NFL in sacks. Chicago was already at a disadvantage in this game, and this certainly doesn’t help. But this COVID-19 outbreak, which has sidelined players like Allen Robinson, Eddie Jackson, Eddie Goldman and Larry Borom and all three coordinators, has changed this game in a huge way. ![]() I was more than prepared to pick the Bears to win this game against the Vikings, given Matt Nagy’s track record at 5-1 against Minnesota and the fact that the Vikings are 5-15 against the Bears in their last 20 visits to Chicago. ![]()
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