The Minnesota Vikings are set to take on the Chicago Bears in an important NFC North division battle on Monday night.
The game became even more important, as the Green Bay Packers gifted the Vikings a Detroit Lions loss by beating them 29-22 on Thanksgiving Day. It’s even more important after the Vikings lost to the Denver Broncos on Sunday night. The Vikings currently sit two games down from the Lions and can climb within 1.5 games with a win on Monday night.
As we approach the game on Monday night, there are multiple ways we will preview the game. These four storylines will be worth keeping your eye on during Monday night football.
Managing editor Tyler Forness: How will Brian Flores attack Justin Fields?
Brian Flores has attacked each quarterback differently this season. Sometimes, he sends heavy blitzes but against the most mobile quarterbacks, he has been relatively conservative. With Fields’ strength being with his legs, Flores is likely to lean more on the conservative side and send three-man rushes to force Fields to beat the Vikings drop eight coverage. How he approaches Fields will likely determine how successful the Vikings will be on Monday night.
Columnist Judd Zulgad: Vikings passing game
The Vikings had success on the ground against the Broncos’ porous run defense, but weren’t as effective through the air. Denver used blitzes against Dobbs and Minnesota was led by three players with only four catches apiece. This included tight ends T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver and running back Ty Chandler. Wide receivers Jordan Addison and Brandon Powell combined for six receptions for 76 yards.
The Bears’ second-ranked run defense is giving up only 79.5 yards per game but their pass defense is ranked 26th in the league. The Vikings’ run game remains a big question mark, meaning O’Connell will need to put this game in Dobbs’ hands and get Addison back in the mix. The Bears did pick off Lions quarterback Jared Goff three times last Sunday, so Dobbs will have to be careful to avoid turnovers against an opportunistic group.
Columnist Saivion Mixson: Vikings chase for a playoff spot
Are you kidding me? Playoffs? Actually no, we’re not kidding.
Even with the loss, the Vikings still have a 1.5-game lead on the Green Bay Packers for possession of the final wild-card spot.
According to the New York Times and their playoff simulator, Minnesota has a 72% chance to make the playoffs. With just a win against the Bears, that number skyrockets to an 86% chance right before going into the bye week.
These odds are why GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah went and got Josh Dobbs right before the trade deadline. As long as Dobbs can keep the ship on course, the Vikings have a clear path to making the playoffs.
Columnist Chris Spooner: Can Josh Dobbs bounce back?
Everything was good when the Vikings were winning. Countless articles were being written about Dobbs and how truly remarkable his story is. It was truly a sight to behold how he was coming to a new team, being thrown to the wolves right away, and was managing it all and leading the team to victory. Then it all came crashing down last week against the Broncos.
Now the honeymoon phase is over, and it’s time to see what the Vikings truly have in Dobbs. You learn more from adversity than you do from perfect situations. Clearly there was some adversity to overcome when Dobbs got here and was immediately thrown into the fire, but now there’s even more with his first loss with the team – and his turnovers being a contributing factor to the loss. How well will he bounce back, and can he keep this Vikings team in the thick of the playoff hunt? Those questions will begin to be answered Monday night.
