Vikings at Bears Depth Chart Preview - 2019
Sept 27, 2019 19:35:36 GMT -6
Reignman, Funkytown, and 1 more like this
Post by Danchat on Sept 27, 2019 19:35:36 GMT -6
The 2-1 Bears and Vikings face off for NFC North dominance! Well, it's more of a "loser gets last place" sort of deal, but the loser here will have some ground to cover with how the Lions and Packers have played so far. Let's see how the Bears' defense stacks up:
Injury Report
Vikings
RG Josh Kline Out
LB Kentrell Brothers Out
CB Mack Alexander Questionable
Bears
WR Taylor Gabriel Out
DE Bilal Nichols Out
TE Trey Burton Questionable
DT Akiem Hicks Questionable
RG Kyle Long Questionable
K Eddy Pineiro Questionable
* My thoughts *
Through the first three games of the year, Trubisky has seemed to take a step back. So far he's passed for a miserable 5.6 Y/A and has only run for 21 yards total. The smart money seems to be on limiting Trubisky's running lanes, and the Bears' passing options haven't proven to get open as often as they did last year. Allen Robinson is a decent #1 WR, but behind him is a bunch of question marks. Trey Burton and Anthony Miller have already struggled with injuries and haven't been getting open as hoped. With Taylor Gabriel out, Javon Wims and Cordarrelle Patterson will likely have increased roles. The Bears have also used Tarik Cohen as more of a receiver now, but it's seemed to drain him of his playmaking ability, with just 82 yards on 12 catches.
The Bears made a big change in the running game by trading Jordan Howard and drafting David Montgomery. The Bears have run into some tougher run defenses and have had trouble getting the elusive Montgomery any running room, but the Vikings should try not to do what they let Aaron Jones do against them back in Week 2. The O-line has had some struggles and is about an average unit. The only real weakness might be Kyle Long, and that's because he's just always injured with something. It's a solid unit that should improve as the season goes along.
Onto the defense... and boy, is it scary. So far they've shut down running attacks, holding opposing teams to 3.16 yards a carry. The front seven is nearly flawless. It may not be if Akiem Hicks misses this game, they would be down to just 4 D-linemen. Hicks is a monster in his own right, and Goldman is underrated - and so is Robertson-Harris! Khalil Mack garners most of the spotlight, deservedly so, but Leonard Floyd has finally started to step up his play. Roquan Smith's PFF scores haven't lived up to his draft status, but he has plenty of time to improve.
Finally, the Bears' secondary lost two big names in Bryce Callahan and Adrian Amos, and they were able to neatly replace one of them. Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix, while maligned by some Packers fans, has consistently been graded well by PFF and is having a really good season on a one year deal. Eddie Jackson is a stud and should be avoided. Kyle Fuller has been a surprisingly good #1 CB and Amukamara is just decent. New slot corner Buster Skrine has been a liability his whole career, and should be a target of exploitation if the Vikings are going to pass the ball effectively.
Prediction: Bears 17, Vikings 13
This appears to be a matchup that will be decided by whichever offense makes the least mistakes. I suspect the Vikings, who usually save their sloppiest football for Soldier Field, will be challenged with the Bears' run-stuffing prowess. I also wouldn't be surprised if Dan Bailey misses a kick or two.
Alright, what do you think? Will the Vikings finally win a big game on the road against a team with a winning record?
Injury Report
Vikings
RG Josh Kline Out
LB Kentrell Brothers Out
CB Mack Alexander Questionable
Bears
WR Taylor Gabriel Out
DE Bilal Nichols Out
TE Trey Burton Questionable
DT Akiem Hicks Questionable
RG Kyle Long Questionable
K Eddy Pineiro Questionable
* My thoughts *
Through the first three games of the year, Trubisky has seemed to take a step back. So far he's passed for a miserable 5.6 Y/A and has only run for 21 yards total. The smart money seems to be on limiting Trubisky's running lanes, and the Bears' passing options haven't proven to get open as often as they did last year. Allen Robinson is a decent #1 WR, but behind him is a bunch of question marks. Trey Burton and Anthony Miller have already struggled with injuries and haven't been getting open as hoped. With Taylor Gabriel out, Javon Wims and Cordarrelle Patterson will likely have increased roles. The Bears have also used Tarik Cohen as more of a receiver now, but it's seemed to drain him of his playmaking ability, with just 82 yards on 12 catches.
The Bears made a big change in the running game by trading Jordan Howard and drafting David Montgomery. The Bears have run into some tougher run defenses and have had trouble getting the elusive Montgomery any running room, but the Vikings should try not to do what they let Aaron Jones do against them back in Week 2. The O-line has had some struggles and is about an average unit. The only real weakness might be Kyle Long, and that's because he's just always injured with something. It's a solid unit that should improve as the season goes along.
Onto the defense... and boy, is it scary. So far they've shut down running attacks, holding opposing teams to 3.16 yards a carry. The front seven is nearly flawless. It may not be if Akiem Hicks misses this game, they would be down to just 4 D-linemen. Hicks is a monster in his own right, and Goldman is underrated - and so is Robertson-Harris! Khalil Mack garners most of the spotlight, deservedly so, but Leonard Floyd has finally started to step up his play. Roquan Smith's PFF scores haven't lived up to his draft status, but he has plenty of time to improve.
Finally, the Bears' secondary lost two big names in Bryce Callahan and Adrian Amos, and they were able to neatly replace one of them. Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix, while maligned by some Packers fans, has consistently been graded well by PFF and is having a really good season on a one year deal. Eddie Jackson is a stud and should be avoided. Kyle Fuller has been a surprisingly good #1 CB and Amukamara is just decent. New slot corner Buster Skrine has been a liability his whole career, and should be a target of exploitation if the Vikings are going to pass the ball effectively.
Prediction: Bears 17, Vikings 13
This appears to be a matchup that will be decided by whichever offense makes the least mistakes. I suspect the Vikings, who usually save their sloppiest football for Soldier Field, will be challenged with the Bears' run-stuffing prowess. I also wouldn't be surprised if Dan Bailey misses a kick or two.
Alright, what do you think? Will the Vikings finally win a big game on the road against a team with a winning record?
Well I'm going into this one expecting a complete bed sh*tting from all phases of the game. I even think Cook will fumble or leave early with a minor but nagging injury. Cousins won't pick on Skrine at all, he'll challenge Prince over and over. Seems to be the Vikings way, to not take advantage of a teams weakness.
