4. Roquan Smith and Danny Trevathan vs. Dalvin Cook
We can talk about Kirk Cousins, and his ability to hurt his team in huge moments all we want. The fact is that there will not be huge moments for Cousins to fall in if the Vikings run the ball down the Bears throats, and do not look back.
The Vikings are one of the few teams in the NFL who looks to set up a run-first offense. They run the ball over 60% in a league where only three teams run the ball over 50%. The running attack has obviously been led by Dalvin Cook, who has arguably been the top running back in the NFL so far.
He not only leads the NFL in rushing yards per attempt but also in success rate. That means he is ripping off huge runs, but even his shorter runs go for decent yardage.
Stopping Cook early can put Cousins in a position to pass often, and that is how Chicago will win this game. Given the speed and success of Cook, he is going to break into the second level. This is why while it will be a team effort, the onus rests solely on Smith and Trevathan. These two are both in the top 15 in tackles in the NFL. Trevathan has two tackles for loss while Smith has one.
These are two of the fastest, most talented linebackers in the NFL. Look for Smith to use his speed to try to get to Cook at the edges, and look for Trevathan to try to lay a few big hits on him in the backfield. If Cook zooms past these two, Cousins and the Vikings may walk away unscathed.