Bears vs. Vikings: Game Time and Analysis

While Frank Omiyale is trying to hide after his five false starts from last week’s matchup against Detroit, Sunday night’s matchup against Minnesota will thrust him and the Bears right back into the spotlight. The Bears take on the Minnesota Vikings in the second of back-to-back primetime games and another crucial NFC North matchup.

The Vikings come in at 1-4 off their first victory of the season. Minnesota thumped Arizona 34-10 and built a 28-0 lead in the first quarter. Although Minnesota sits at the bottom of the NFC North, the Vikings lost each of their first four games by seven points or less. In three of those games, Minnesota possessed a double-digit half-time lead only to see the offense stall in the second half. With those close losses, the Vikings are three games under .500, but they still possess a positive point differential (+5).

Look at the bare offensive stats for Chicago against Detroit and they don’t seem bad. Jay Cutler completed 73 percent of his passes with no interceptions and Matt Forte rushed for 116 yards on 22 carries. The Bears dominated time of possession by a ratio of almost 2:1 and were relatively balanced in their play calling. But penalties – 14 of them – and pressure on Jay Cutler meant only three drives ended in points. Against Detroit, Cutler looked like he got dropped into the middle of Lake Shore Drive and was asked to play real-life Frogger. Things don’t get easier against Minnesota as defensive ends Jared Allen and Brian Robison have combined for 13 sacks on the season.

The Bears’ Cover 2 scheme is designed to prevent big plays. At its best, the Cover 2 will make offenses maneuver their way down the field in long drives of 10-plus snaps. The defense would be opportunistic and cause a couple of turnovers each game. Bend but don’t break was the mantra for years when the Bears were a top defensive unit.

But in the Bears’ first five games, it’s been the explosive plays that have been the defense’s kryptonite. The Monday night game against Detroit was a perfect example. The Lions torched the Bears with a 73-yard touchdown reception by from Matthew Stafford and an 88-yard touchdown run from Jahvid Best. Those two plays were both longer than the biggest play from scrimmage that the defense allowed in all of 2010. Safeties Chris Harris and Brandon Meriweather will be benched in favor of Major Wright and Chris Conte on Sunday. The two new starters will have even more pressure to perform with Julius Peppers (knee) doubtful for Sunday’s contest.

Best hadn’t rushed for more than 72 yards in any of his first four games before he burned the Bears for 163 rushing yards on only 12 carries. It was the fifth straight game that the Bears allowed more than 100 rushing yards after being the second-best rushing defense in 2010. And now they get Adrian Peterson, the second-leading rusher in the NFL and perhaps the league’s most feared running back. Peterson had his best game of the season last week, rushing for 122 yards and three first-quarter touchdowns.

While the division crown is now a longer-than-long shot, the season is far from over. Although the Bears sit at 2-3, they are only one game out of the second wildcard spot in the NFC. I know, it’s way too early to be thinking about wildcard spots, but the conference is wide open. With winnable games against Minnesota and Tampa Bay, the Bears have a chance to go into the bye week at 4-3.

If they want a win on Sunday night, the Bears will have to get off to a fast start and use the running game to take Minnesota’s pass rush out of the equation. Just remind Omiyale not to start too quick. 

Game time is set for 7:15 Central Time on NBC. The Chicago Bears are favored to win by three points.

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