Vikings at Bears Week 11 Depth Chart Preview
Nov 16, 2018 20:41:01 GMT -6
Funkytown and Minniman like this
Post by Danchat on Nov 16, 2018 20:41:01 GMT -6
A climactic battle will happen on Sunday Night - the Vikings and Bears will tussle for the NFC North, and the winner's odds of hosting a playoff game at home will be much greater with a win here. Let's see how these two teams match up:
Bonus - check out the analysis of the Vikings Depth Chart from the Bears side at our partners' website, Chi-town.com!
Injury Report
*My thoughts*
The Bears will come into this matchup very healthy, and compared to last season, their roster is stacked. Starting with the offense, Trubisky is playing much better under HC Nagy's offense compared to John Fox's pathetic excuse for an offense (by the way, PFF hates Trubisky for some reason, I think's he's better than they've rated him). Nagy also has the benefit of much better position players. Trey Burton is already one of the NFL's best TEs and this is his first season as a full-time starter. Like most other teams, Chicago will have 3 WRs out on the field most of the time. Allen Robinson is a solid but not great #1 WR, known for having one great season in Jacksonville, but has been plagued by injuries and stretches of ineffectiveness. Taylor Gabriel is a quick WR but is more suited as a part-time WR. 2nd round rookie Anthony Miller just had his first 100 yard game and he should only get better the more he plays.
Us Vikings fans know Jordan Howard pretty well - he's a downhill runner who hasn't been quite as dominant since his rookie season. Tarik Cohen is the receiving HB with incredible shiftiness. The Vikings will probably have trouble covering him. The Bears' O-line is pretty good, but they lack top-end talent. Their guards have both graded below-average. Massie is passable RT and Charles Leno has developed into a legitimate blind side tackle, which is not what I thought he'd turn into. Center Cody Whitehair is league-average as a center and is a strong pass protector.
The Bears defense is scary good on paper, and though their grades have been buffed by playing some cupcake teams (Lions, Bills, Jets), there's no doubt this is a top 5 defense. Khalil Mack is a terror, and after missing a couple games, he looked healthy last week. That's bad news for whichever tackle has the displeasure of facing him. On the other side, Leonard Floyd has been a slight disappointment as a high 1st round pick. Aaron Lynch will rotate in and play extensive snaps too. Akiem Hicks has crushed the Vikings O-line in past years, and now with Mack getting the spotlight, they have two stars. Yikes. Robertson-Harris is an underrated DE, but Bullard, who's played almost the same amount of snaps, is overrated IMO. Eddie Goldman is a quality NT.
The Bears LB duo is solid - while Roquan Smith hasn't graded that well so far, his potential is sky-high. Danny Trevathan, when healthy, is a fantastic run stuffer. The secondary has been graded very well, but they get a lot of help from their pass rush. Kyle Fuller's ratings are off the charts, but I wonder if he's overrated - his coverage was awful Week 1 against the Packers. Prince Amukamara has been consistently average for several years but is having his first decisively above-average season. Bryce Callahan might actually have a hope of covering Adam Thielen, as he's been PFF's highest graded slot corner. Finally, FS Eddie Jackson is playing even better in his sophomore season, and he's a turnover generator. Adrian Amos isn't at the Elite rating he was last season, but nevertheless he's still a terrific player.
One of the edges the Vikings will have is Bears' kicker Cody Parkey. After missing an astounding 4 kicks with all of them hitting the upright, you'd have to think the Bears will not want to kick any long FGs if they need to. The Bears paid him waaay too much money after just one good season in Miami.
Prediction: Bears 27, Vikings 23
The Vikings don't play as well at Soldier Field, and the Bears will be fielding a far superior team compared to the one they faced last year. Adding Mack and a good head coach should put them over the hump to beat the Vikings.
Any thoughts? Also, make sure to check out the Depth Chart Preview over at Chi-town forums!
Bonus - check out the analysis of the Vikings Depth Chart from the Bears side at our partners' website, Chi-town.com!
Injury Report
Vikings
LB Barr - Questionable
LG Compton - Questionable
TE Morgan - Out
RG Remmers - Questionable
SS Sendejo - Out
Bears
DT Bilal Nichols - Questionable
TE Dion Sims - Out
WR Javon Wims - Questionable
LB Barr - Questionable
LG Compton - Questionable
TE Morgan - Out
RG Remmers - Questionable
SS Sendejo - Out
Bears
DT Bilal Nichols - Questionable
TE Dion Sims - Out
WR Javon Wims - Questionable
*My thoughts*
The Bears will come into this matchup very healthy, and compared to last season, their roster is stacked. Starting with the offense, Trubisky is playing much better under HC Nagy's offense compared to John Fox's pathetic excuse for an offense (by the way, PFF hates Trubisky for some reason, I think's he's better than they've rated him). Nagy also has the benefit of much better position players. Trey Burton is already one of the NFL's best TEs and this is his first season as a full-time starter. Like most other teams, Chicago will have 3 WRs out on the field most of the time. Allen Robinson is a solid but not great #1 WR, known for having one great season in Jacksonville, but has been plagued by injuries and stretches of ineffectiveness. Taylor Gabriel is a quick WR but is more suited as a part-time WR. 2nd round rookie Anthony Miller just had his first 100 yard game and he should only get better the more he plays.
Us Vikings fans know Jordan Howard pretty well - he's a downhill runner who hasn't been quite as dominant since his rookie season. Tarik Cohen is the receiving HB with incredible shiftiness. The Vikings will probably have trouble covering him. The Bears' O-line is pretty good, but they lack top-end talent. Their guards have both graded below-average. Massie is passable RT and Charles Leno has developed into a legitimate blind side tackle, which is not what I thought he'd turn into. Center Cody Whitehair is league-average as a center and is a strong pass protector.
The Bears defense is scary good on paper, and though their grades have been buffed by playing some cupcake teams (Lions, Bills, Jets), there's no doubt this is a top 5 defense. Khalil Mack is a terror, and after missing a couple games, he looked healthy last week. That's bad news for whichever tackle has the displeasure of facing him. On the other side, Leonard Floyd has been a slight disappointment as a high 1st round pick. Aaron Lynch will rotate in and play extensive snaps too. Akiem Hicks has crushed the Vikings O-line in past years, and now with Mack getting the spotlight, they have two stars. Yikes. Robertson-Harris is an underrated DE, but Bullard, who's played almost the same amount of snaps, is overrated IMO. Eddie Goldman is a quality NT.
The Bears LB duo is solid - while Roquan Smith hasn't graded that well so far, his potential is sky-high. Danny Trevathan, when healthy, is a fantastic run stuffer. The secondary has been graded very well, but they get a lot of help from their pass rush. Kyle Fuller's ratings are off the charts, but I wonder if he's overrated - his coverage was awful Week 1 against the Packers. Prince Amukamara has been consistently average for several years but is having his first decisively above-average season. Bryce Callahan might actually have a hope of covering Adam Thielen, as he's been PFF's highest graded slot corner. Finally, FS Eddie Jackson is playing even better in his sophomore season, and he's a turnover generator. Adrian Amos isn't at the Elite rating he was last season, but nevertheless he's still a terrific player.
One of the edges the Vikings will have is Bears' kicker Cody Parkey. After missing an astounding 4 kicks with all of them hitting the upright, you'd have to think the Bears will not want to kick any long FGs if they need to. The Bears paid him waaay too much money after just one good season in Miami.
Prediction: Bears 27, Vikings 23
The Vikings don't play as well at Soldier Field, and the Bears will be fielding a far superior team compared to the one they faced last year. Adding Mack and a good head coach should put them over the hump to beat the Vikings.
Any thoughts? Also, make sure to check out the Depth Chart Preview over at Chi-town forums!
