Bear Digest

Key matchups favoring Chicago Bears over frustrated Minnesota Vikings

Based on the eight games since they last played Minnesota, the Bears can find matchup advantages they didn't have in the season opener.
Gene Chamberlain|
Kyle Monangai is escorted by guard Joe Thuney, who rates as one of the best run and pass blockers according to ESPN analytcs.
Kyle Monangai is escorted by guard Joe Thuney, who rates as one of the best run and pass blockers according to ESPN analytcs. | Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

During film review, the Bears couldn't help but notice the frustration showing through in body language by Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson.

It's not easy to miss because Jefferson so often displays the exact opposite body language.

"Just watching the last couple games, especially the Baltimore game, some of the interceptions that were thrown, you do see some of the body language with 18 (Jefferson) out there, maybe a little bit frustrated," safety Kevin Byard said. "But I try not to pay attention to that.

"I try to go out there, just lock in. I'm studying as much as I can, as far as  the plays that we're gonna see, and just trying to go out there and make plays. Obviously, that's something we want to do. We want to get them frustrated out there."

Despite the frustration on offense, the Vikings defense did hold Lamar Jackson to 176 yards passing on only 17 of 29, and 36 yards rushing. They did a great deal right and still came away with a loss for the fifth time in nine games.

The frustration is team-wide for Minnesota this year as their defense has also had its problems with 116 points allowed the last four games. They started the season running the ball and stopping the run to beat the Bears, and since then have fallen to 24th running the ball and 22nd stopping the run.

As much as the scheming of defensive coordinator Brian Flores is respected, and Kevin O'Connell's offensive approach has always been explosive, there are personnel issues.

Here are places where the Bears should enjoy good matchup advantages against the Vikings.

T Darnell Wright vs OLB Dallas Turner

The first-round pick from Alabama hasn't had the greatest start to his career with 4 1/2 sacks in 25 games played, but has made a few plays. He is in a complex system and it's going to take time to adjust both to that and the NFL. The 17th pick in the 2024 draft has 1 1/2 sacks this year. The Vikings' scheme will often put him  over wright and this is a mismatch. Wright's quickness has let him counter faster edge rushers like Turner, and at 6-3, 247, Turner could wind up looking like Brian Burns did last week when the 325-pound Wright got in one good push—the play’s video went viral. Wright is on a roll now and is graded 13th among all tackles, third as a run blocker by Pro Football Focus. PFF hasn't been as convinced about Wright's pass blocking but one sack allowed and eight pressures is a strong season for any tackle, and ESPN's pass block win rate metric has Wright 11th among all tackles at 94%.

WR DJ Moore vs. CB Byron Murphy

Moore has identified Murphy as possibly the toughest cornerback he has gone against in the past but Murphy isn't playing the way he normally has. He's having a down year, ranking 83rd among 109 cornerbacks in coverage and 94th of 109 overall according to PFF. Murphy gave up two TD passes according to Stathead/Pro Football Reference. The only regular Vikings starter playing worse than Murphy, according to PFF, is linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. Moore is having a poor year stat-wise, as well, and has been injured, but the Bears offense under Ben Johnson doesn't focus on the X-receiver as much as it does the slot, the move-tight end, the Z and the running backs. Still, the Bears get the ball in Moore's hands in numerous ways and provided they can avoid the pass pressure, it could be a big play with the catch and run.

G Joe Thuney vs. DT Jonathan Allen

The good news for Allen is he ranks 40th of 125 interior defensive linemen with his pass rush according to PFF, but the bad news is going against Thuney, No. 1 among guards in pass rush win rate and No. 2 for all interior offensive linemen. The worse news for Allen is he has rates 91st among 125 at stopping the run this year according to PFF, and Thuney is ninth among interior offensive linemen for run block win rate. If they flip Allen to the other tackle, he's not going to find it much easier as Jonah Jackson began to ascend three games ago. The Vikings are getting pass rush from Allen but that's not hard for a defensive tackle to do in this scheme because the blitzing linebackers often take away blocking attention. It's stopping the run where Minnesota needs help and isn't getting it. Allen had been on 88th on the top 100 list voted on by players but it might be the scheme fit hurting him here as he has the worst PFF run-stopping grade on the team, one place better than DT Jonathan Hargrave.

TE Cole Kmet vs. LB Eric Wilson

While Kmet has begun asserting himself in the running game as a blocker, especially when they've used gap scheme, he hasn't been targeted as much in the passing game. This could be a game when they get him more involved because the linebacker coverage by the Vikings has been inconsistent all year. Wilson is graded worse in pass coverage than anyone the Vikings' defense has had on the field regularly except linebacker Ivan Pace Jr., and Wilson has had almost twice as many coverage opportunities as Pace.

LB Tremaine Edmunds vs. QB J.J. McCarthy

McCarthy was the fourth-quarter hero for Minnesota in the first game between these teams as he woke up a dormant offense. For McCarthy, though, it's been nothing but struggles since then. He has six interceptions to five touchdown passes even with all the great weapons he has. Edmunds isn't playing the same position he did in the first game, as the Bears have used him more in a weakside role where he is closer to the line of scrimmage and impacting plays more. He is tied for the NFL lead in interceptions. Until McCarthy returned against Detroit, the NFL hadn't really had much chance to analyze McCarthy with only 41 pass attempts for is career. He has thrown it 67 times the last two games and for only 5.7 and 5.9 yards per attempt in those games, while also throwing three of his interceptions.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.