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A pair of division rivals from the old Black and Blue Division known as the NFC Central, now members of the NFC North, do battle in the Windy City searching for a victory. The Minnesota Vikings are on the road looking to maintain their recent momentum as they travel to face the fading Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football. Minnesota earned a second straight win as they dropped the Lions 34-20 at home last Sunday in their previous game. Chicago saw their fourth-quarter rally fall short as they were dropped 24-17 on the road by the Titans last Sunday in their most recent contest.
The Vikings own a 60-55-2 edge in the all-time regular-0season series between the teams but the Bears have won the last four meetings. Last season, Chicago claimed a 16-6 home win on September 29, 2019 and followed that up with a 21-19 road triumph on December 29, 2019.
Minnesota Vikings Go for Third Straight Victory
Minnesota seemed dead in the water at 1-5 but has bounced back with a pair of solid division wins, first beating Green Bay on the road and then upending the Lions at home last week. The Vikings look to go for a clean sweep of division rivals as they head to the Windy City for this contest. Minnesota jumped to a 13-0 lead after the opening quarter against the Lions and didn’t look back.
Their lead never dropped below three and the defense came up with a pair of big plays late in the third quarter, intercepting Matthew Stafford twice in the red zone. The Vikings held a 487-421 edge in total offense while overcoming losing the first down battle 30-22 and the time of possession by a 32:49 to 27:11 margin. Minnesota forced three turnovers, including those two red-zone picks, to help offset having two punts blocked deep in their own end of the field.
Top 2 back in the league and he ain’t #2
The Vikings are 25th in the league in passing offense as they average 221.6 yards per game through the air this season. Minnesota is a stellar third in the league in rushing offense as they average 160.4 yards per contest on the ground. The Vikings are 12th in the league in scoring offense by putting up 27.1 points per game this year. Minnesota has struggled defensively, ranking 25th in scoring defense as they allow 29.3 points a contest. Kirk Cousins is the trigger man for the Vikings’ offense.
He has completed 137 of 209 passes for 1,855 yards with 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. In addition, he has been sacked 16 times for 82 yards in losses while running for 55 yards on the season. Dalvin Cook is the linchpin of the offense as he has run the ball 144 times for 858 yards and 12 scores: he leads the league in rushing yards. Alexander Mattison is a solid second back as he has 69 carries for 322 yards plus a score. In the passing game, Adam Thielen (team-high 37 catches, 480 yards, seven TD) and rookie Justin Jefferson (34 grabs, team-high 627 yards, three TD) are the only players with at least 200 receiving yards this season. Dan Bailey is 19 of 20 on extra points and six of eight on field goals with a long of 52 this year.
Minnesota is going to rely on their ground game and that could work against a Chicago defense that is in the middle of the pack against the run. The Bears are 14th in the league in run defense by allowing 116.9 yards per game and are 11th by giving up 4.1 yards per carry. Chicago has given up at least 100 yards on the ground in seven of their nine games though they did hold the Titans to 31 carries for 92 yards last week. If Minnesota flexes their muscle on the ground with Cook, it will go a long way toward tipping the scales toward the Purple People Eaters.














