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Running back Dalvin Cook wants to turn Monday night into a heavyweight fight.
But Cook knows a surging Vikings offense needs to live up to the nationally televised billing against a Bears defense that has bullied them through four losses in two years.
The difference, the Vikings hope, is an offense confident in its identity, which is focused on Cook as he runs like an MVP candidate and sets up an explosive play-action passing game. It’s the Vikings’ best hope of emerging from this matchup with the more competent offense in the game.
“This year, it’s about something different,” Cook said. “It’s about us knowing our identity, knowing who we is and going out there and playing football. I give the utmost respect to the Bears, but I think we’re going to have a good week of practice, a solid week of practice, and it’s going to be about us.
“We got to go in there and match their physicality. Not shying away from anything,” he added. “We got to bring our lunch pail Monday night.”
Cook, the NFL’s rushing leader in yardage and touchdowns entering Sunday, generates that kind of confidence for a Vikings team that hasn’t earned much of it against the Bears. But oddsmakers still have the Vikings as three-point favorites while the Bears are losers of three straight and just changed offensive play callers. Bears coach Matt Nagy said their backs are against the wall.
Lights, camera, “Monday Night Football.”
“It’s for real,” Nagy said. “Not that the other ones aren’t. But we’re at the point right now, 5-4, and have a division game against a good football team. Right now, with the way things have gone, with losing three games, we’re willing to do whatever we need to do collectively together to get that win."
https://www.startribune.com/vikings-iden...573085751/
“We got behind the 8-ball on some third downs, and you start holding the ball against this team and bad things happen,” Kubiak said of last year’s 16-6 loss in Chicago. “It did for us in that game. We’ve got great respect for them schematically, and for their players as well. We know what we’re up against and are going to have to play really well.”
Knifing through uneven Packers and Lions defenses is one thing. The Bears bring an overpowering front that wins in key situations — No. 1 in third downs (31%) and within the 20-yard line, where opponents get touchdowns on just 42% of red-zone drives, according to Football Outsiders.
Previous meetings with the Bears have fueled the offense’s identity crisis, and Zimmer knows Monday night is a heat check for his team.
“I have a lot of confidence in our offense,” he said. “Kirk has been playing really well the past couple weeks. We’ve got skilled receivers, tight ends, and then our offensive line, I think, is getting better and better. I don’t know about anything in the past. I just know our offense feels very confident about what their capabilities are. It’ll be a good test for them this week, though, with the Bears, because they’re really good.”
Sigh. These are the type of tough guy games the Vikes rarely ever win. The Bears need the W too.
Quote: @StickyBun said:
Sigh. These are the type of tough guy games the Vikes rarely ever win. The Bears need the W too.
We haven't beaten the Bears since 2017!!
Vikings lead all time series 60/56/2
Shocking:
12/19: Bears 21 v Vikings 19
9/19: Bears 16 v Vikings 6
12/18: Bears 24 v Vikings 10
11/18: Bears 25 v Vikings 20
Vikings haven't cracked > 20 pts vs Bears since 2017....
https://www.footballdb.com/teams/nfl/chi...eam?opp=18
I still think the Vikings should come out firing in this game. The Bears, like every team, will stack the box in an attempt to stop Cook. I think I read where the Vikings rank about 3rd in the NFL in the amount of stacked boxes they see. It hasn't stopped us lately, but the Bears are a different story.
Come out firing, get them off their game, get a lead and then lean on Dalvin.
Very curious to see just how improved our OL is. Playing well against the Packers and Lions defense is one thing; playing well against this front is something else entirely.
Got the tree up and the house bathed in Christmas lights. Misguided or not, it's going to "feel" like playoff football. As a fan, I'm just super happy to be playing meaningful football again...at least for one more week.
Prediction: Vikings 24, Bears 20. Jefferson goes over 100 and gets a TD.
theyre probably watering the field during a rainstorm again...sloggers field
Its gonna be a streetfight.
We’ve imposed our will the last 2 weeks not as likely this time around. No ISJ is a problem for us, but i like Rudy to showup in this game. Conklin is a wild card also, he is a pretty capable TE.
Cousins needs to earn his bread tonight. We need to target Jaylon Johnson with #18. and the TE’s to make them honor the pass. I expect Fuller to run with AT
Quote: @MaroonBells said:
I still think the Vikings should come out firing in this game. The Bears, like every team, will stack the box in an attempt to stop Cook. I think I read where the Vikings rank about 3rd in the NFL in the amount of stacked boxes they see. It hasn't stopped us lately, but the Bears are a different story.
Come out firing, get them off their game, get a lead and then lean on Dalvin.
Very curious to see just how improved our OL is. Playing well against the Packers and Lions defense is one thing; playing well against this front is something else entirely.
Got the tree up and the house bathed in Christmas lights. Misguided or not, it's going to "feel" like playoff football. As a fan, I'm just super happy to be playing meaningful football again...at least for one more week.
Prediction: Vikings 24, Bears 20. Jefferson goes over 100 and gets a TD.
I think you are right about the need to be passing immediately. Bears will expect the Dalvin show and commit to stuffing him. Meanwhile, if Cousins goes into the game planning to handoff 40 times and throw 15, but at halftime they decide to completely shift gears and ask him to save the game, bad things happen. Much better to start with a balanced gameplan.
Now, put Kirk Cousins and Nick Foles into a showdown and the Infinite Improbability Drive may go off the rails.
I just have no confidence Cousins can win in a passing shootout.
Quote: @PSBLAKE said:
I just have no confidence Cousins can win in a passing shootout.
I have no confidence that the Bears can even GET in a passing shootout. I think folks who haven't been paying attention to the Bears are going to be pretty surprised at just how bad they are. Of course, I'm aware of our history with them and that ugly monkey could show up again, climb onto Cousins' back and never let go. But that's the only reason this game has any business being close.
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