Preview: Vikings at Bears
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[October 31, 2016]
Their perfect record now a thing
of the past, the Minnesota Vikings look to get back on track when
they visit the Chicago Bears on Monday night in a matchup of NFC
North rivals. The Vikings opened the season with five consecutive
wins prior to their bye week but absorbed their first loss in a
21-10 defeat at Philadelphia last week.
Minnesota coach Mike Zimmer would not blame the bye week for
stemming his team's momentum, instead pointing to a sea of mistakes
that included four turnovers, six quarterback sacks and a kickoff
return for a touchdown allowed. "So if you're going to do those
things, you have no chance to win," Zimmer said. Chicago, which has
dropped three in a row and six of seven, has a burgeoning soap opera
building. Jay Cutler, who suffered a thumb injury in Week 2, is
poised to return to the starting lineup amid a published report that
Bears coach John Fox told friends that he is "done" with the veteran
quarterback after this season.
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN. LINE: Vikings -4.5. O/U: 40.5
ABOUT THE BEARS (1-6): Backup quarterback Brian Hoyer suffered a
broken arm and third-stringer Matt Barkley appeared totally
overmatched in last week's 26-10 loss at Green Bay. While Fox denied
the report by the Chicago Tribune, insisting there's "absolutely no
truth" to it, Cutler acknowledged: "He doesn't have a choice, I
guess, at this point." The most pressing issue facing Fox and Cutler
is how to jump-start an offense that is averaging a league-low 15.9
points per game and ranks 25th in the NFL in rush with an average of
87.9 yards. Chicago's defense sits 20th in the league, permitting an
average of 24.1 points per game.
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ABOUT THE VIKINGS (5-1): Injuries to top running back Adrian
Peterson and along the offensive line are stagnating Minnesota,
which ranks 31st in total offense (299.2 yards) and 30th in rushing
(74.3). Quarterback Sam Bradford had six touchdowns and zero
interceptions in his first four starts but was picked off once and
lost a pair of fumbles last week against his former team. One of his
new favorite targets, wideout Cordarrelle Patterson, has 16
receptions and two touchdowns over the last three games but missed
practice Thursday with a concussion. Still, the Vikings rely on a
defense that is limiting foes to an NFL-low 14.0 points.
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EXTRA POINTS
1. Minnesota swept the season series in 2015-16 and has won the last
three meetings.
2. Chicago WR Alshon Jeffery has five TD receptions and is averaging
108.8 receiving yards in his last five games versus Minnesota.
3. Vikings WR Stefon Diggs hauled in two scoring passes in the last
meeting versus Chicago.
PREDICTION: Vikings 23, Bears 16
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