Chicago Bears vs Minnesota Vikings: History, Rankings and Trends
It’s always a little tough to tell anything from just one week of statistic, but here are some key rankings for both the Bears and the Vikings:
CHICAGO (NFL Rank) MINNESOTA (NFL Rank)
24.0 (T-14th) …………… Points Scored ………… 24.0 (T-14th)
323.0 (20th) ……………. Total Offense …………. 330.0 (19th)
81.0 (17th) ………….. Rushing Offense ……….. 105.0 (11th)
242.0 (19th) …………..Passing Offense ………. 225.0 (20th)
21.0 (T-11th) ………….. Points Allowed ……….. 34.0 (T-29th)
340.0 (16th) …………….Total Defense ………… 469.0 (29th)
63.0 (T-6th) …………..Rushing Defense ……….. 117.0 (24th)
277.0 (19th) …………. Passing Defense ……… 352.0 (29th)
+2 (T-2nd) ……………..Turnover Ratio ………….. -2 (T-25th)
The Bears rank tied for 6th in the league in rushing defense, but that might just be because the Bengals gave up trying to run the ball while the Vikings rank 29th in pass defense, but they had to go against the pass-happy Lions. I expect both of these stats to be tested on Sunday.
It’s funny that on the offensive side of the ball, for as much grief Christian Ponder took for his Week 1 performance, the Vikings’ passing offense actually ranks just one spot behind that of the Bears and the much-lauded Jay Cutler performance. Perspective people.
The last time the Bears faced the Vikings, in Minnesota last December 9th, Adrian Peterson ripped a 51-yard run from scrimmage to start the game, very similar to his fast start against the Lions last week.
The Vikings went on to win the game 21-14 on a day when drops plagued the Bears receivers and Cutler left the game early with a neck injury. Adrian Peterson had a pair of TD runs while Harrison Smith’s pick-6 of a Jay Cutler pass proved to be the decisive score.
Hopefully we’ve got your mind shifting to Bears – Vikings with this little primer post. We’ll have plenty more coverage leading up to this crucial NFC North matchup.