The Minnesota Vikings are facing a pivotal game in week six against their NFC North division rival Chicago Bears on Sunday afternoon.
It’s a huge game for the Vikings and Bears, as they both sit at 1-4 and a loss will crater their playoff chances. Both teams had aspirations of a playoff berth but it hasn’t looked like it’s going to happen to this point.
Despite their record, the underlying metrics for the Vikings look good. They have played good football outside of their 12 turnovers and -9 turnover differential. That fact gives them a glimmer of hope for a potential playoff berth.
Going into Sunday’s game, these four storylines are going to be major factors in the Vikings getting a win.
Managing Editor Tyler Forness: How will Jordan Addison respond?
Not having Justin Jefferson on the roster is going to be a hindrance to the Vikings moving forward. He has 15 of the Vikings’ 21 plays over 20 yards this season. It’s tough to lose that kind of production and a player of Jefferson’s caliber.
In a roundabout way, this could be a good thing for Addison’s development. He will be thrust into a position that he might not be ready for, but that can be a good thing. Teams will be playing more standard coverages against the Vikings and that will put Addison in position to show where he is at in his development.
If he succeeds, that’s a massive win for the Vikings. If he fails, Addison can learn from it. It’s a win/win situation.
Columnist Judd Zulgad: Ball security
The Vikings have spent extensive time this season discussing the need to stop turning over the football, but so far it has been all talk. The issue came up again on the team’s first play from scrimmage on Sunday when tight end Josh Oliver lost the ball after a 15-yard gain. Minnesota has an NFL-worst 12 giveaways and is a league-worst minus-9 in turnover differential. Is this the week the ineptitude finally ends? If the Vikings continue this pattern, winning a game, even against the Bears, will be difficult.
Columnist Saivion Mixson: Staying out of last place
After a year of wonders and borderline miraculous play from the Vikings, they find themselves fighting to stay out of the bottom of the NFC North six weeks into the season. How Minnesota got here is something that needs to be discussed with your therapist before the game on Sunday at noon CST. After that, there is nothing that can be done but hope that the football gods are kinder on Sunday than they have been thus far. This beginning stretch has been a disaster for a team with high expectations for themselves coming into this season. The playoffs are almost out of the window, the quarterback is nearing the end of his tenure and there is nothing to look forward to except the draft in April. On Sunday, the Vikings are playing for respectability. They are playing to stay out of the basement of the NFC North, and it will not be easy.
Columnist Chris Spooner: Where are the Vikings' heads at?
There have been a ton of distractions swirling around the Vikings this season. In the off-season, it was all the drama around Dalvin Cook and where he was going to be dealt. Now, everywhere you look there’s another article about whether the Vikings are going to tank now that Jefferson is out. Is Kirk Cousins going to be dealt now to get something back for him before he walks in the offseason? What’s going to ultimately happen with Danielle Hunter?
It can be a lot for a team to deal with. Especially a team that is struggling to perform, and has now lost one of the best wide receivers in the league. This game is going to go a long way towards showing us if the Vikings have any fight left in them, or if they’ve put the season on cruise control and are just waiting for it to be over.
