NFL Week 06: Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears

Frank Doyle previews a big Sunday night matchup at Soldier Field this weekend when the Vikings visit the Bears.

Bears at Vikings games have been usual in the past ten years in that each has owned the other’s house. The Vikings have only won once in Minneapolis, a Monday Night game in December 2007, but they’re 7-3 at Soldier Field in the past ten games.

The NFL betting line makes the Bears a three point favorite, which is good news for Minnesota and bad for Chicago. It means the Vikings are improving while the Bears are in trouble.

Minnesota has had an awful start to the season, losing leads in its first three games and Donovan McNabb’s nightmare continuing despite his move from Washington. But the penny dropped last week, and the Vikings realised that if you have Adrian Peterson in the backfield you give him the ball at every possible opportunity.

That worked against Arizona last week and the Bears can expect to see plenty of AD on Sunday night. He’s only the guy that ran for 224 on twenty carries in Soldier Field four years ago. Nobody in Chicago has forgotten that.

What the Bears have forgotten is how to play defense, which is something that particularly stings in the City of Broad Shoulders. An angry Brian Urlacher said that the Bears defense “stinks” after the Lions game, and they have only six days to put that right.

The Bears need to establish the run on offense and make the most of Matt Forte as the Bear receiver corps don’t have the skills to play the bombs-away style offense that Mike Martz likes, and the line can’t buy Jay Cutler the time he needs. Chicago will have to play Bear football whether they like it or not.

The over/under total for the game is set at 42, one of the lower totals on this week’s board. The past five years have seem totals of 51.2 on average between Minnesota and Chicago, but that drops to 43.2 in Soldier Field – the difference between playing indoors and in the howling wind that comes off Lake Michigan.

Even though it won’t be particularly cold in Chicago this Sunday – and Soldier Field gets cold enough for beer to freeze before patrons have time to drink it – the total is low because neither side can really open up on offense. They don’t have the weapons.

Sunday night will be a straight duel between Matt Forte and Adrian Peterson. The winner of the duel wins the game and still sees the bright lights of the playoffs in the distance. The loser is looking at a long, cold winter. It’s getting to be that time of year.