All week long, Chicago Bears fans have wondered just how exactly head coach Ben Johnson is going to attack Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores.
On paper, the Bears have an advantage. They're at home, Johnson is 5-1 against Flores in his career and the Bears' offense is coming off a 59-point performance just days ago.
But, then the reverse psychology starts creeping in. Because all of these things look good, wouldn't that give Flores even more motivation to come out swinging in this game? Is he going to bring some stuff Johnson hasn't seen before and/or isn't prepared for?
The weather forecast comes into play, here, too. At the moment, it's projected to be in the mid-60's with a solid 60 percent chance of rain to go along with winds around 15 miles per hour.
You want to talk about a chess match? Oh, boy.
Weather forecast for Bears vs. Vikings in Week 2 will even further complicate the chess match
At first glance, you might think the weather gives Chicago an advantage. If Flores decides to come out blitzing like he did last week against Green Bay, then the Bears will have a choice to make.
Normally, against a blitz-happy team, you'd like to beat them with quick, short passes and long, explosive passing plays taking advantage of one-on-one matchups. Yet, in windy and rainy conditions, how willing will the Bears be to do such a thing?
Factoring in the weather, you'd typically see teams hunker down and play the most physical brand of football possible. If it's raining at Soldier Field, you'd typically bet the Bears were going to try and be the more physical team up front.
The Bears' offensive line is excellent. D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai each ran for over 100 yards in Week 1. Why not just run it down Minnesota's throat and keep going until they tire out?
That could work. But, now you're talking about a team that's probably going to load the box more often than not, making it more crowded for running backs to find creases in the defense. Unless the Bears' offensive line, along with an extra tight end or two, can block a perfect game, it's probably going to be tougher for Swift and Monangai to find daylight.
So, you've got the prospects of trying to air it out in the wind and rain, where you theoretically have an advantage if Flores is going to send the majority of his defenders after the quarterback. Caleb Williams throwing a wet football into some wind isn't ideal, but into one-on-one coverage where the likes of Rome Odunze, Luther Burden, Colston Loveland and others could potentially win some of those matchups?
That just might work, too, but it could potentially end in disaster simply due to the forces of nature at play.
It shouldn't be that complicated, but it is.
Ben Johnson needs to stay patient with the run in Week 2 vs. the Vikings
So, now we're back to the ground and pound -- something Johnson isn't going to shy away from and an area where the Bears could see some fruit. Both Swift and Monangai have been physical at the point of attack over the last year or so, and Chicago's offensive line is one of the elites in football.
This might just take a while.
We could see a fairly uneventful game for the first two quarters. It might not provide us with much scoring.
But then, as the third quarter rages on, that's where Johnson's team could prove to be the victor. That's where this offensive line is going to shine. Continuing to pound the ball at that Minnesota front has to be key, because they'll get tired eventually.
Even though the Vikings only allowed 3.1 yards per carry to the Packers last week, they're dealing with a much-better line in front of them in Chicago. So, you can sort of throw that performance out the window. The Bears are a better blocking team. They're a better rushing team. Chicago has an advantage.
I suppose the moral of this story is that the Bears simply need to weather the storm in front of them, and above them, for that matter. The constant pressure Flores is going to throw at them will be tough to deal with, at first, but as the game progresses, you will start to see the Bears prevail on the ground.
It's going to happen.
That's how these things work.
Look for the Bears to top 150 rushing yards in this game, albeit not necessarily the easy way.
Read more: Colston Loveland's bounce-back game is all but assured vs. Vikings in Week 2
Hopefully, that's enough to come out with a win.
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