Final Thoughts: Vikings vs. Bears in Week 12
EAGAN, Minnesota Prior to their Week 13 bye, the Minnesota Vikings had to contend with a difficult attrition situation that put their roster’s depth to the test. One constant enemy of each NFL season seemed to be injuries, which seemed to hit the Vikings time and again.
But throughout training camp, head coach Kevin O’Connell has maintained consistency in his message. After a 0–3 start, he then saw Weeks 4–12 as a chance to build momentum before a bye week that would aid Minnesota in recuperating and rejuvenating for a pivotal final stretch.
Through hardship and a subsequent five-game winning streak, the Vikings demonstrated tenacity. As the last quarter of the regular season approaches, O’Connell’s mantra of taking things one week at a time has helped put Minnesota (6-5) squarely in the running for the playoffs.
The Vikings play the Chicago Bears (3-8) on Monday night to wrap up this portion of the schedule. With a victory, Minnesota would trail the leading Lions (8-3) by a game and a half. They also have an opportunity to get several important players back from injuries after a week off.
“Every game is kind of its own individual segment at this point, and coming off a tough loss on the road, I just think it’s really important going into the bye that we continue to put together really good plans,” O’Connell stated. “Our players had another really good week of preparation.”We made use of the extra day, which I believed to be a true advantage. And it seems like the boys are prepared to go.
“We’re eager to return to US Bank Stadium. Lately, we’ve put on some very amazing shows there, and a big part of it has been our fans. The vigor and intensity that we anticipate being present on Monday Night Football against a team that is currently enjoying some success.”
Danielle Hunter and D.J. Wonnum are a potent pass-rushing combination for the Vikings. With 12 sacks going into Week 12, Hunter was second in the NFL behind Myles Garrett of the Browns.
Wonnum enhances Hunter’s skill set, particularly when facing the Bears. The fourth-year edge rusher has faced the division foe seven times and has 7.5 career sacks.
The goal of both will be to sabotage the Bears offensive line, which has played with eight different lineups in 11 games. The Vikings will then have an additional degree of difficulty to deal with when they have to defend against dual-threat quarterback Justin Fields. This is because Fields must be pressured without jeopardizing rush-lane integrity or blowing edge containment.
Fields suffered a dislocated right thumb against the Vikings in Week 6, which caused him to miss four games. He was able to play last week.
In that game, Wonnum and Hunter combined for ten pressures and three sacks.
He is an active participant. “We can tell that even from our first encounter with him,” Fields’ defensive coordinator Brian Flores remarked. “He performed admirably last week, in my opinion. He was able to lengthen plays to bring the ball down while also taking off and producing explosions as a scrambler. It’s excellent.
TE T.J. Hockenson on rivalry in the NFC North:
“It’s physically demanding football, especially in the NFC North. You always feel soreder after leaving a game than you do [after a typical game day]. There’s amplitude to it, of course, so Monday night we’ll just be thrilled to have Chicago here. Being at U.S. Bank Stadium in front of our supporters will be exciting and there will be a great vibe. We’re all just anticipating the chance, I believe.”
Offensive Coordinator Wes Phillips on facing the Bears run defense:
“It’s gonna be a challenge. Chicago’s second in the league, I believe, in rush yards per game and [No. 1 in yards] per attempt. They move the front quite a bit after the snap. That’s always kind of been [Head Coach Matt] Eberflus’ style and system. There are some positive runs if you watch on tape, but they also have a lot of negative runs, where they’re getting into the backfield, where they are penetrating and moving the front. So it’s certainly challenging. It was good to see in Denver the run game kind of come alive – hit a couple 15-yard runs and just had nice production throughout the night. Hopefully we can build on that, but I think it’s going to be more of a challenge this week.”
