Bears vs Vikings Keys to the Game
Is it just me or does it feel like the Bears haven’t played in weeks. I know that we just played the Bills, but does a game against a winless team really count? Even the games leading up to the bye against the Redskins and Seahawks didn’t get the blood pumping like a classic NFC North battle with Old #4 coming to town for the 9 millionth time and the season hanging in the balance.
The Vikings seemed to be ready to call it a season until late in the 4th quarter last week when they rallied past the Cardinals to get to 3-5 and keep hope for a trip to the 2010 playoffs still in the realm of possibility. The Bears hope to rip their still-beating hearts out of their chest, chew it up and spit it out. At a minimum, it’s time to drive a stake through the heart of the vampire and send Favre and company into oblivion.
We’ve seen this movie before. There aren’t too many surprises when you play the Vikings. Check out my preview after the jump:
Stop Adrian Peterson
So far, the only person to stop Adrian Peterson has been Brett Favre. As a Peterson fantasy owner, he’s done fine, but hasn’t been off the charts this season because the Vikes are too busy letting Captain Wang chuck it around. Ever since his rookie season when he ran roughshod over the Bears, they have done increasingly better bottling him up. Sunday is not the time to reverse the trend. The Bears’ best chance for winning is if #28 isn’t toting the rock.
It’s Cutler Time
Last week, the Bears tried to convince themselves and their fans that they can run the ball. We’re entering the second half of the season and it’s time to face reality – they can’t run the ball. Instead, it’s time for the hotshot quarterback to do some quarterbacking. It’s time to start seeing a return on the hefty investment the Bears made. This game will be won or lost on the merits of Jay Cutler’s play, plain and simple.
The Devins
Last year, with the season already in the toilet, Devin Aromashodu had his breakout game against the Vikings in prime time. We all thought that was the start of a promising Bears career. There’s been an Amber Alert out for him since the end of last year. It would be nice to see him with another big performance.
The other Devin – the original Devin to be more precise – needs to find his role on this team. Is it as a #1 wide receiver? Is it as a return specialist? It’s time for coaches to figure that out and put him in a position to succeed. (In case you’re wondering about my vote – he should be returning kicks and punts and occasionally lining up in the slot.)
Prediction:
Not sure why because every fiber of my being believes the Vikings are the better team, but the Bears seem to rise to the level of their competition. I think Favre gives a few over to the Bears and they respond. It’s not always pretty but I see the Bears winning 23-21.