Meaning Bout On Tap For Chicago Bears And Minnesota Vikings
Friday, December 30, 2011
by Aengus Moorehead
Analysis:
Peyton Manning is not the only quarterback sensing his worth in Indianapolis, Chicago's QB Jay Cutler surely shares the same sentiment, for the Bears have been simply awful without him. The NFC North rivals square off in Sunday's regular-season finale at Minnesota, the Vikings expect to have rookie Christian Ponder under center while the Bears counter with Josh McCown, who was coaching high school football last month and made his first start in four years a week ago.
Chicago's season careened off the tracks following a broken thumb suffered by Cutler. The Vikings never recovered from an awful start under Donovan McNabb and are trying to avoid matching the worst record in franchise history.
Chicago comes in desperate for a win after having a promising year sabotaged by a five-game losing streak triggered by a host of pivotal players getting hurt. The Bears entered December sporting a 7-3 record and appeared to be in strong position for making a second consecutive postseason trip, but a fractured thumb suffered by Cutler in a 31-20 victory over San Diego on Nov. 27 sent the club into a downward spiral.
The 2010 NFC North champions also lost Pro Bowl running back Matt Forte (sprained knee) and wide receiver Johnny Knox (fractured vertebrae) to season- ending ailments during the stretch run, which also played a part in Chicago's longest in-season skid since an eight-game drought from Sept. 22-Nov. 18, 2002.
The Bears were officially eliminated from playoff contention with last Sunday's 35-18 loss at NFC front-runner Green Bay. But despite the negative result, there were a couple of encouraging performances from the fill-in cast to take from.
New quarterback Josh McCown completed 19-of-28 passes for 242 yards in his first NFL start since 2007, while running back Kahlil Bell did his best Forte impression by rushing for a career-best 121 yards and adding 38 more on four catches.
McCown will get the call again this week in place of Caleb Hanie, demoted back to second string after four ineffective starts substituting for Cutler.
The Vikings return home with some significant injuries of their own, the most serious of which was a torn ACL and MCL that prized running back Adrian Peterson sustained this past Saturday against Washington. Ponder also exited early in the second half with a concussion, while veteran guard Steve Hutchinson was placed on injured reserve Tuesday due to a concussion he incurred in a loss to New Orleans one week prior to the game against the Redskins.
Despite those defections, Minnesota managed to come through with a 33-26 triumph over Washington thanks to excellent relief efforts from quarterback Joe Webb and running back Toby Gerhart. The former threw for two touchdowns and ran for another to lead the Vikings to 23 second-half points, while Gerhart did his part by rushing for a personal-best 109 yards and a score on 11 attempts in Peterson's absence.
Ponder was cleared to practice this week and will draw the start under center for Sunday's tilt. The 2011 first-round pick made his pro debut in a 39-10 road setback to the Bears on Oct. 16, hitting on 9-of-17 throws for 99 yards after taking over for the since-released Donovan McNabb.
The Vikings had dropped six in a row prior to last weekend's breakthrough, but still remain in jeopardy of matching a franchise record for losses in a season set in 1984.
The Vikings lead the regular-season series with the Bears, which dates back to 1961, by a 52-46-2 count, but Chicago has inched closer towards drawing even by winning the last four meetings between the teams. The Bears recorded their first season sweep of Minnesota since 2006 last season, following a 27-13 home decision in November with a 40-14 rout in Week 15 in a game held at the University of Minnesota's TCF Bank Stadium due to unplayable conditions at the Metrodome. Chicago has lost in three straight trips to the Metrodome, with the most recent being a 36-10 ousting in 2009, and last prevailed at the venue via a 19-16 score during its NFC championship season of 2006.
Chicago and Minnesota have also squared off one time previously during the postseason, a 35-18 road win by the Bears in a 1994 NFC First-Round Playoff.
The Bears' Lovie Smith owns a 9-6 record against Minnesota during his tenure as a head coach, while Leslie Frazier -- a former cornerback for Chicago from 1981-85 -- is 0-2 lifetime against both his ex-team and Smith since taking over in Minnesota.
Time & Venue:
- 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, January 1, 2012. Mall of America Field at H.H.H. Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Last Week's results:
- Chicago Bears (+13.5) loses to host Green Bay Packers 35-21.
- Minnesota Vikings (+6.5) beats host Washington Redskins 33-26.
Last week's ATS:
- Underdog Chicago Bears (7-8) loses and does not cover
- Underdog Minnesota Vikings (3-12) wins outright.
NFL Football Odds: Vikings -1.5, O/U 41
Playoff Picture:
- Chicago Bears: Eliminated (week 16)
- Minnesota Vikings : Eliminated (week 12)
The Bears were able to stonewall Minnesota's running game in the first matchup mainly because McNabb posed little threat of attacking the defense vertically. Ponder certainly has the talent to make plays with his arm, but the rookie will need to be smart, poised and accurate to beat a seasoned Chicago stop unit that isn't going to be fooled by anything the Vikings do.
While McCown wasn't bad off his four-year layoff, he'll be dealing with a Minnesota pass rush that's more formidable than the one he faced in Green Bay and must be quick and decisive with the football. Whichever of these two gunslingers makes the fewer mistakes, his team likely wins.
McCown's job would be made far easier if Bell is as much of a factor as he's been the last two games, therefore the Vikings must be less submissive against the run then they've displayed of late. The Vikings have allowed 302 yards on the ground over the past two weeks, and Forte and Marion Barber combined for 119 yards against their defense in Chicago's Week 6 win.
Special teams could turn out to be a huge advantage for the Bears with return-man extraordinaire Devin Hester on the roster. The reserve receiver had a 98-yard kickoff return touchdown against the Vikings in October and leads the NFL with a 17.3 average on punt runbacks, and Minnesota hasn't been great in either kick or punt coverage this season.
Chicago has won the last four meetings, including a 39-10 rout earlier this season.
A loss would give the Vikings the worst mark in franchise history, matching the 3-13 mark by the 1984 team.
Bears WR/KR Devin Hester has four of his 19 career return touchdowns against the Vikings.
Minnesota is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Chicago
Minnesota is 2-6-1 ATS in its last 9 games at home
Minnesota is 2-4-1 ATS in its last 7 games
Chicago is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
Chicago is 2-4-1 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
Chicago is 0-4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
In games like this where nothing but pride is on the line, generally the more determined team is the one that comes out the victor. And with the Bears stewing over a winless drought that's lasted since before Thanksgiving, they'll have plenty of incentive to come out with a purpose.
The Vikings should have motivation as well, as closing out with back-to-back positive results would surely help take the bitter taste out of a season that's for the most part been a nightmare, but the coaching staff may also use this contest as a means to get an extended look at some of the young players on the roster. Since Chicago's defense is more capable of making Ponder look bad than Minnesota's is at exploiting McCown's limitations, go with the visitors in this war of attrition.
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NFL Football Pick: Take Bears.
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Tags
adrian peterson - caleb hanie - chicago bears - christian ponder - devin hester - donovan mcnabb - green bay packers - jay cutler - joe webb - johnny knox
