Bears at Vikings Depth Chart Preview
Dec 28, 2018 17:25:11 GMT -6
Reignman, Funkytown, and 1 more like this
Post by Danchat on Dec 28, 2018 17:25:11 GMT -6
The Vikings can win and get in, but they'll have to do it against the 11-4 Chicago Bears. The Bears are unlikely to pass the Rams for the 2nd seed, but it's a possibility at this point, so they will try to win. Can the Vikings clinch the playoffs or will they crumble apart when it matters most? Let's see how the Bears stack up:
* My thoughts *
The Bears haven't changed much since we faced them last, so I'll cover the differences from the Week 11 matchup.
Mitchell Trubisky has regressed since we last played, as he's tossed 12 interceptions in 14 starts and has made some brutal throws. Against some playoff defenses like the Vikings and Rams he's tossed several bad picks straight to defenders. The Bears will do their best to run the ball with Howard to keep the pressure off Trubisky, but Howard has been mediocre this season. He's averaged 3.6 yards per carry. Thankfully Nagy is aware of this issue, so Tarik Cohen has become the team's main weapon as of late. He's caught 69 passes and runs for a 4.5 average, and the Bears used him well on misdirection plays last time we faced off. They'll need him to churn yards as Allen Robinson will miss this contest. Gabriel, Miller, and Bellamy will play significant snaps, but none of them scare me against the Vikings DBs.
The Bears O-line is now starting Bryan Witzmann at RG, the same guy who was on the Vikings roster for a few weeks. PFF has him graded as one of the worst guards in the NFL, so he's been a massive downgrade from Kyle Long. The other O-linemen are average to good.
Khalil Mack is still going strong with 12.5 sacks and a crazy 6 forced fumbles - that's almost as many as the whole Vikings roster has forced (8). Mack will make the pocket crumble fast, and Akiem Hicks, who is also an elite player, can rush the passer and snuff out the running game. The Vikings will have to figure out how to run the ball away from him this time... (*shakes head at DeFilippo's gameplan for that one*). Aaron Lynch, the third best pass rusher on the team, will miss this game. Leonard Floyd has been a middling edge rusher. Roquan Smith has been graded as an average LB so far, as PFF isn't a fan of his run stopping ability.
Kyle Fuller and Prince Amukamara have become one of the NFL's best CB duos, but they lost nickel CB Bryce Callahan to a injury for the rest of the season. Sherrick McManis has stepped up and played very well in his place, but I imagine he'll have some troubles with Thielen in the slot. Meanwhile, Eddie Jackson aka the NFL's best ballhawking safety is going to miss this one, which has to be a relief for Kirk Cousins. Deon Bush will start for him and won't be close to as good. Adrian Amos is still a great SS.
Prediction: Vikings 20, Bears 17
The Bears haven't been so good on the road and the Vikings always play better at US Bank Stadium. Chicago is missing several key players that they had at their disposal last time, and their motivation to win this game may waver. They need to make sure their best guys don't get hurt - losing Mack, Cohen, or Trubisky to an injury would be back-breaking. With an incompetent offensive coordinator out the door, the Vikings should have a better gameplan against the daunting Bears defense.
Any thoughts?
Injury Report
Bears
FS Eddie Jackson - Doubtful
OLB Aaron Lynch - Doubtful
WR Allen Robinson - Doubtful
DT Bilal Nichols - Questionable
Vikings
WR Beebe - Out
FB Ham - Out
CB Sherels - Out
OLB Kendricks - Out
LG Compton - Questionable
CB Rhodes - Questionable
Bears
FS Eddie Jackson - Doubtful
OLB Aaron Lynch - Doubtful
WR Allen Robinson - Doubtful
DT Bilal Nichols - Questionable
Vikings
WR Beebe - Out
FB Ham - Out
CB Sherels - Out
OLB Kendricks - Out
LG Compton - Questionable
CB Rhodes - Questionable
* My thoughts *
The Bears haven't changed much since we faced them last, so I'll cover the differences from the Week 11 matchup.
Mitchell Trubisky has regressed since we last played, as he's tossed 12 interceptions in 14 starts and has made some brutal throws. Against some playoff defenses like the Vikings and Rams he's tossed several bad picks straight to defenders. The Bears will do their best to run the ball with Howard to keep the pressure off Trubisky, but Howard has been mediocre this season. He's averaged 3.6 yards per carry. Thankfully Nagy is aware of this issue, so Tarik Cohen has become the team's main weapon as of late. He's caught 69 passes and runs for a 4.5 average, and the Bears used him well on misdirection plays last time we faced off. They'll need him to churn yards as Allen Robinson will miss this contest. Gabriel, Miller, and Bellamy will play significant snaps, but none of them scare me against the Vikings DBs.
The Bears O-line is now starting Bryan Witzmann at RG, the same guy who was on the Vikings roster for a few weeks. PFF has him graded as one of the worst guards in the NFL, so he's been a massive downgrade from Kyle Long. The other O-linemen are average to good.
Khalil Mack is still going strong with 12.5 sacks and a crazy 6 forced fumbles - that's almost as many as the whole Vikings roster has forced (8). Mack will make the pocket crumble fast, and Akiem Hicks, who is also an elite player, can rush the passer and snuff out the running game. The Vikings will have to figure out how to run the ball away from him this time... (*shakes head at DeFilippo's gameplan for that one*). Aaron Lynch, the third best pass rusher on the team, will miss this game. Leonard Floyd has been a middling edge rusher. Roquan Smith has been graded as an average LB so far, as PFF isn't a fan of his run stopping ability.
Kyle Fuller and Prince Amukamara have become one of the NFL's best CB duos, but they lost nickel CB Bryce Callahan to a injury for the rest of the season. Sherrick McManis has stepped up and played very well in his place, but I imagine he'll have some troubles with Thielen in the slot. Meanwhile, Eddie Jackson aka the NFL's best ballhawking safety is going to miss this one, which has to be a relief for Kirk Cousins. Deon Bush will start for him and won't be close to as good. Adrian Amos is still a great SS.
Prediction: Vikings 20, Bears 17
The Bears haven't been so good on the road and the Vikings always play better at US Bank Stadium. Chicago is missing several key players that they had at their disposal last time, and their motivation to win this game may waver. They need to make sure their best guys don't get hurt - losing Mack, Cohen, or Trubisky to an injury would be back-breaking. With an incompetent offensive coordinator out the door, the Vikings should have a better gameplan against the daunting Bears defense.
Any thoughts?
... and neither is this Chris guy.