Chicago Bears Defeat Minnesota Vikings: A Mostly Unbiased View

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Nov 16, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears wide receiver Alshon Jeffery (17) makes a catch against Minnesota Vikings cornerback Josh Robinson (21) during the third quarter at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Bears finally won at home!  I was beginning to think they never would.  The Bears got the win and hopefully some of their confidence back, but it was far from perfect.  I don’t want to take away from Chicago finally not being completely embarrassed, but this win was pretty sloppy.  The Bears were clearly the better team in this matchup and there was no reason for the score to be as close as it was.  Penalties and turnovers really hurt them in this one, but I’ll get to that in a minute.  This week I’m going to start off with the special teams.

The Chicago Bears special teams play is getting ridiculous.  It seems like every week they give up a big play.  Whether it be a big return or a blocked kick, the play of this unit has been awful all season.  This week it was a fake punt.  The Vikings went for the fake during the first quarter on 4th and 2 from their own 45 yard line.  I’ll give them that this was a little early in the game for a trick play like this, but a properly coached special teams unit should always be prepared for a fake when the ball gets around midfield.  The icing on the cake was that this particular fake punt went for 48 yards, which was half of the total rushing yardage allowed by the Bears all game.  It also set up Minnesota’s only touchdown on the day.  This is completely unacceptable, and it baffles me that Joe DeCamillis still has a job.

The Vikings are not a team to brag about beating.  Minnesota was not a good team last year, and this year they are starting a rookie quarterback.  Teddy Bridgewater has been decent for a rookie this year, but by no means spectacular.  Not to mention that they are missing their best offensive weapon in running back Adrian Peterson, who is currently suspended.  I have to think they would have put up more than 96 rushing yards on our beloved Chicago Bears, had AP been available in this one.  I’m not going to declare the Bears to be over their current woes until they beat a quality opponent.

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