Week 6 - Vikes @ Bears Support Group

What I’m watching

Lewis: The offense. Remove Justin Jefferson’s explosiveness, eliminate his gravity in the red zone, take away his existence as Kirk Cousins’ safety valve, and what will things look like? Jefferson has accounted for 15 of the team’s 21 plays of 20 yards or more this season. That’s no coincidence. Coach Kevin O’Connell and Minnesota’s offensive staff have spent countless hours designing an offense around Jefferson. Can the team adapt on the fly? Can players such as K.J. Osborn, T.J. Hockenson, Jordan Addison and Brandon Powell step up? Can the run game shoulder a larger load? The proof will be in the pudding against a Bears defense that will likely have reinforcements in Eddie Jackson, Jaylon Johnson and potentially Kyler Gordon.

Krawczynski: Jordan Addison. He’s been showing a little more each week, from a more varied route tree to catching passes in traffic and getting tough yards after the catch. With Jefferson out, O’Connell has emphasized the need for multiple players to step up to keep the offense going. But Addison feels like the player who is most equipped to bring a dynamic element to the game. He isn’t Jefferson, but he can burn a defense if it’s not careful. The Vikings will need a lot more of that over the next few weeks.

Biggest concerns

Lewis: The Justin Fields-to-D.J. Moore connection. These two linked up 10 times for 230 yards and three touchdowns last week against the Washington Commanders. The week before, Moore torched the Denver Broncos secondary for nine catches, 131 yards and a touchdown. Minnesota is allowing a 76.4 percent completion rate to opposing quarterbacks. That’s the second-highest mark in the NFL. Depending on the Bears’ game plan, Fields might be more than happy to dink and dunk the ball, keeping it out of harm’s way, especially to a receiver who still feels underrated in terms of how dynamic he can be with the football.

Krawczynski: The Cousins-to-Hockenson connection, or lack thereof. Many expect Hockenson’s role to increase with Jefferson out, and there is a good reason for that. He was highly productive last season after coming over in the trade with the Detroit Lions, forming a fast chemistry with Cousins to help drive the offense. But something has been off this season. Maybe it’s all the time Hockenson missed in training camp while negotiating his contract. Maybe, as Cousins said Sunday, he was throwing the ball a little too high. Whatever it is, the pair has to get on the same page. Hockenson has dropped some catchable passes. Some of them would have been tough, but now that he is making more money than any tight end in the league, that is what will be expected of him.

Most interesting storyline

Lewis: Are the Vikings about to lose all hope for 2023? Win this game and the climb is still extraordinarily steep. The San Francisco 49ers are coming to town, and there will be no mercy. Lose this game and, well, the Vikings are staring 1-6 in the face. That might bode well for the long term, but it also might clarify just how far the Vikings have to go for a shot at a championship. The future at quarterback is and will continue to be a gigantic talker. Beyond that, the Vikings need impact players on the interior of the defensive line, at edge rusher, linebacker, cornerback, safety and running back and on the interior of the offensive line. How can a team fill all those holes in one offseason when it might also have to spend multiple high-end picks to get a QB? It’s not easy to go down that road, but a loss here and the Vikings might have no other choice.

Krawczynski: The Vikings are at a crossroads. They are firmly in the danger zone heading into a stadium at which they often play poorly. A loss here turns the panic meter to 11. Trade speculation will only ramp up. Talk of tanking for Caleb Williams, even though that is a rare thing in the NFL, will dominate the airwaves and social media as the bloodthirsty 49ers loom next week. A win over a team that played well last week but was an absolute dumpster fire before that wouldn’t exactly quell concerns. But it might allow the Vikings to catch their breath for a second after a disastrous start to the season.