The Bears’ game against the Vikings on Monday night at U.S. Bank Stadium is their first rematch of the season. Let the chess match begin.
When the Bears played the Vikings on Oct. 15 at Soldier Field, they were on a rare high — coming off a 40-20 victory over the Commanders on Thursday Night Football at FedEx Field. Justin Fields was on the verge of a breakthrough — throwing for 282 yards and four touchdowns, four days after throwing for 335 yards and four touchdowns against the Broncos.
But the Vikings defense — ranked 19th in yards and 23rd in points at the time — threw the Bears a loop from the start. On the Bears’ very first play from scrimmage, Vikings defensive end D.J. Wonnum was unblocked on a blitz, Fields failed to find the “hot” receiver and was sacked for a seven-yard loss.
It was that kind of day for Fields. He completed 6 of 10 passes for 58 yards and an interception for a 36.7 passer rating. He was sacked four times in 17 drop-backs — suffering a dislocated thumb on the last one that forced him to leave the game with 9:59 left in the third quarter.
Monday night’s game will give Fields, offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and coach Matt Eberflus a chance to show how well they learn. The Bears’ coaching staff is on shaky ground with six games to go in Eberflus’ second season — 6-22 overall and 0-9 against NFC North teams. They need to win, of course, but winning rematches against the Vikings, the Lions on Dec. 10 at Soldier Field and the Packers in Week 18 at Lambeau Field is a chance to make up some lost ground.
Every game is a chess match. But rematches against division opponents seem like a particularly good measurement of the coaching staff. Right?
“I don’t know,” Getsy said. “But I will say it’s an important part of what you do. Whenever you’re going against somebody, you’re evaluating what their thought process was and how they feel they can stop you — and you’re doing the same with how you can attack them.”
This game will be in a more difficult environment — on the road and in prime time. But the Bears are in better shape roster-wise. When they played the Vikings at Soldier Field, left tackle Braxton Jones was on injured reserve — replaced by Larry Borom. Nate Davis sprained an ankle after 10 plays and was replaced by Ja’Tyre Carter. And Fields only played 35 of 66 snaps, replaced by rookie Tyson Bagent.
The Bears’ protection against a Vikings defense that has the highest blitz rate in the NFL will be a focal point. Since the first meeting, the Vikings have dropped from 13th to 19th in the NFL in sacks per pass attempt. They have six sacks in the last three games, against the Falcons, Saints and Broncos.
The Bears’ offensive line is as strong as its been in Getsy’s two seasons — with Jones in his fourth game back and Davis in his second game back. But, as as the case on the first play in the first game against the Vikings, protection is more than just the offensive line.
“They have a bunch of guys that can do a bunch of different things,” Getsy said. “Obviously, having more film is helpful, but at the same time, we know they are going to [do] different stuff this time than they’ve shown in the past.”
Therein lies the challenge of a rematch — not only responding to what your opponent did the first time, but anticipating their opponent’s next move.
“I do value that [as a measurement],” Eberflus said. “That’s an important thing when you’re playing division opponents. You have to change your looks and change the way you do things and adjust. It’s no different on offense. We have to do a better job with the protections and with the pressure looks. Our guys have worked their tail off on that, and we’ll see where it is. But it looked good all week.”
