Week 10 GDT: Minnesota Vikings @ 2/3 Chicago Bears

[JAF-N72EX]

The game is on Monday. It starts some time after happy hour (depending on which time zone you are in and which bar you are at when the game starts). 

in the last 20 years, the Vikes are 4-16 at Soldier field. The Vikings last win on Bears turf was week 5 in 2017 when Trubisky decided this was a good idea with the game tied at 17. The Bears defense did their part but it wasn't enough (raise your hand if you've heard this before) and the Vikings nailed a late FG to ice the game.  

The Vikes started out slow last year before figuring things out, and the same thing is happening this year.

Going into this game, this is how our offense looks.

Coaching: Nagy gives up play-calling to Lazor with only 2 practice days to prepare the following group of stars.

QB: Foles is still garbage. He's a veteran and still playing scared. He will take a sack at the wrong time when he should throw it away (or throw it to the open target). Or he will NOT take a 7 yard sack when he SHOULD instead of throwing the ball into the ground and take an unnecessary intentional ground penalty. (Have you guys seen how many downfield open receivers he has failed to even throw too who are right in front of his face??) . How anyone can defend him at this point is beyond me. 

WRs/TEs: The only bright spot on this offense and they're all visibly confused and frustrated at this point, and reasonably so. 

RB:  Monty is more than likely going to miss the game for concussion protocol reasons (I hope I'm wrong) and Lamar Miller is.......somewhere. He might be hiding in my basement for all we know.  Which means we will be trotting out a ST specialist-SLASH-terrible receiver-SLASH- turned 3rd string running back (Cordelle Patterson) sharing snaps with a UDFA practice squad player from Oregon State named "stiff-as-a-board" Ryan Nall , AND ANOTHER UDFA practice squad player from Oregon State named Atravis Pierce. <<<See a pattern here??? (I'm actually curious to see what Pierce can do IF he gets a chance to be honest).  

**Remember when some Bears fans were claiming that Cohen was useless? Yeah, me too. It should be clear now about how important he really was to not only STs but our offense in general. 

OL: Blocking for this ever-so feared offense will be our OL who is still going to feature the following:

• LT: Starter Leno, who is having the worst year of his career and it's not even close. Same stupid penalties and missing routine blocks against below average competition. 
• LG: 3rd string Albright, who is playing in his 2nd game as a pro.
• C: 3rd string Bars, who is only playing his 2nd game at Center for the first time in his entire career going all the way back to his child hood.  
• RG: Idefi, who is been solid and is by far the best lineman out of this group but he shouldn't be. 
• RT: Coward, who has no business being in the NFL. 

The good news is, we brought back Eric Kush in 2020!!!!!  Remember him? Yeah, so do I......*depression just set in*. 

On a more serious note. Cook has been unbelievable, and if he can stay healthy all game, I can see him having a 150+ yard game similar to what Kamara had in the Saints game. 

 

[WindyCity]

I don’t think this offense can take a major step till the OL is fixed and that is an offseason job, not a mid season job, and the play calling switch will help, but can’t over come the talent issues.

Vikings 17

Bears 13

[beardown3231]

Vikings 20-17

[DABEARSLCF04]

9-6 Bears, Santos with a 53 yard game winner in the 3rd quarter.

[Epyon]

Bears will win this one. 

They shouldn't, on paper... But the Vikings aren't a threat if your shut down cook, and I don't think that's a problem for the defense. 

Pace and Nagy are going to be so desperate to try and keep their jobs that they'll squeeze just enough out of the team to get the W, and further screw our draft status/ability to fix this train wreck over in the offseason. 

Lazor will let Foles get a bit more up tempo, the Vikings won't be ready for it, and I think Mooney gets a big play over the top to set up or get a td. Then the defense will get another, maybe a field goal at some point after that, and that's the game. Overall offensive performance will still be atrocious but the Vikings aren't a herculean feat to edge out an ugly win against. They beat themselves as much as we do. 

[beardown3231]

1 hour ago, DABEARSLCF04 said:

9-6 Bears, Santos with a 53 yard game winner in the 3rd quarter.

They're going to score in the 3rd quarter?

[Sugashane]

42 minutes ago, beardown3231 said:

They're going to score in the 3rd quarter?

Lazor was apparently the right decision!

[Uncle Buck]

This is going to be a defining game for the Vikings season.  Win, and we could go on a run for the playoffs.  Lose, and it's all over except the crying and whatever pathetic draft pick we get for a 7 or 8 win season.  Both teams have had their bright spots and their struggles.  Unfortunately for the Vikings, I just don't see us going into Soldier Field  and pulling off a win - especially on Monday Night, where our trusty quarterback boasts an 0-10 record.  Stop Dalvin Cook, and we're done.  The Bears are a team that has a defense that can do that.

Bears 16
Vikings 13

Edited November 14, 2020 by Uncle Buck

[Uncle Buck]

11 hours ago, JAF-N72EX said:

On a more serious note. Cook has been unbelievable, and if he can stay healthy all game, I can see him having a 150+ yard game similar to what Kamara had in the Saints game. 

 

Cook is every bit as good as Kamara.  The thing that Kamara has that Cook doesn't have, however, is a Hall of Fame QB.  Drew Brees is good enough to keep your defense off balance.  Kirk Cousins is going to fold like a cheap suit in the face of your D.  At that point, just key in on Cook, and it's over.  That's the way I see it happening anyway.

Edited November 14, 2020 by Uncle Buck

[beardown3231]

 

[CBears019]

Montgomery was also ruled out for Monday with that concussion.

[41st ward Chicagoian]

I keep waiting for the inevitable Foles injury behind this Oline. Maybe this week 

[Epyon]

3 hours ago, 41st ward Chicagoian said:

I keep waiting for the inevitable Foles injury behind this Oline. Maybe this week 

I trust in Bray to get us a top 3 QB next year.... and while I can't cheer for such a scenario because Foles (like Trubisky) seems like a genuinely good dude, it might be the best thing for the franchise.

[41st ward Chicagoian]

9 hours ago, CBears019 said:

Montgomery was also ruled out for Monday with that concussion.

This is going to a terrible offense that takes the field. Practice Squad OLine, Career back up QB, a kick return specialist Patterson as your HB.  This is pathetic and Pace should be ashamed.    

[JAF-N72EX]

8 hours ago, Uncle Buck said:

Cook is every bit as good as Kamara.  The thing that Kamara has that Cook doesn't have, however, is a Hall of Fame QB.  Drew Brees is good enough to keep your defense off balance. 

I would agree with both of these points.

Kamara does benefit from playing in Peyton's system with Brees/Thomas(save for this year ) and so between this and Kamara's ability as a pass catcher and route runner opens up more opportunities in the passing game than it does for Cook. And while Kamara has been the focal point of the Saints offense this year with Thomas being out, he still doesn't get the same amount of defensive attention that Cook does with the Vikings. 

Cook's ability has never been questioned from day one......hell, he proved that in his rookie year before getting injured. It's always been his health. I would have to give it more thought but I'm not sure I would go as far as to say that he is better than Kamara (I know you didn't say that I'm just referencing is all), but there's no doubt that he belongs in the same conversation as you said. That I'm confident in. 

Gun to my head, I would probably take Kamara, personally, strictly because of his versatility in a pass-heavy league but I don't think there is a right or wrong answer here either. Both of them offer something different in different ways and so it all comes down to which type of back you are looking for, IMO. 

If you're a run-first team looking for a traditional strong downhill runner with breakaway speed and good vision that can break off a big run (regardless of whether it's between the tackles or on an outside zone read) then I'm taking Cook all day and not thinking twice. 

If you're a pass-first team looking for more versatility then I'm taking Kamara because you can line him up anywhere on the field and still get production. 

Just my opinion, but Cook should be used more in the passing game instead of as a blocker on passing downs. He's a very good blocker, don't get me wrong, but he's always shown that he can be a threat out of the backfield when given a chance. But for some reason, Kubiak and Stefanski have not utilized him as much as they should. Maybe that's because of injury concerns...I don't know.  Especially Kubiak. He was able to get the most out of Arian Foster and Foster wasn't known for being super versatile and I think Cook has much more upside than Foster.

They just extended the man. Almost guaranteeing that he will be a Viking for the next few years so why not give him a chance to prove that he is more than just a runner?