Bears and Vikings Game-Day Preview

Chicago Bears (2-2) at Minnesota Vikings (3-1)

Kickoff: Noon, Sunday, U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minn.

TV: Fox (Adam Amin, Mark Schlereth, Kristina Pink)

Radio: WBBM AM-780, FM-105.9 (Jeff Joniak, Tom Thayer, Mark Grote)

Spanish Radio TUDN AM-1200, Latino Mix FM-93.5 (Omar Ramos, Miguel Esparza)

Streaming: fubo TV (Start your free trial)

Betting Line: Vikings by 7 1/2 (Over/under 44). Money Line, Bears, bet $100 to win $275. Vikings bet $350 to win $100. Most up to date betting info at SI.com sportsbook.

Bear Digest Record: 3-1 straight up, 2-2 ATS, 2-2 over/under.

The Series: The 122nd meeting. The Vikings hold a 63-56-2 series lead. The Vikings won both games last season. Prior to 2021, the Bears had won three straight in Minneapolis.

TICKETS TO SEE JUSTIN FIELDS AND BEARS AVAILABLE FROM SI TICKETS

The Coaches: Bears coach Matt Eberflus is in his first year, is 2-2, and prior to coming to the Bears the teams he was an assistant or coordinator with had a 3-1 record against the Minnesota. Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell, the former Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator, is 3-1 in his first season. He was a coordinator two seasons with the Rams, including last year's Super Bowl win.

Last Week: The Bears gave up 262 yards rushing to the New York Giants and lost 20-12, failing three times in the red zone to score a touchdown. A muffed punt by Velus Jones Jr. at the Bears 34 with three minutes left ended their last chance at a game-tying drive. The Vikings went to London and won a thriller over the New Orleans Saints 28-25 as Will Lutz's 61-yard field goal had the distance but double-doinked off the left upright and crossbar. Andy Dalton threw for 236 yards on 20 of 28 against the Vikings. Minnesota got 273 yards passing from Kirk Cousins with 10 catches and 147 yards by Justin Jefferson.

This Season: In a rebuilding year, the Bears scored wins over San Francisco in a season-opening upset at home and over Houston 23-20 with a 30-yard Cairo Santos after Roquan Smith's interception. The Bears are 0-2 on the road this year. The Bears are averaging only 97.5 net yards per game through the air but have had 100-yard rushing games from Khalil Herbert and David Montgomery. Justin Fields has thrown for 117. 7 yards per game with two TDs and four interceptions. Darnell Mooney leads the offense with eight catches for 121 yards. Their defense has allowed 176 yards rushing or more in three of their four games. ... The Vikings played in one easy win over the Packers at home and a blowout road loss to the Eagles to start the season before scoring 28 points in their next two games in tight victories over the Lions and Saints. Kirk Cousins has thrown six touchdown passes and four interceptions on 99 of 157 for 1,031 yards. Justin Jefferson has 28 catches for 393 yards and two TDs while Adam Thielen 21 receptions for 221 yards and a TD. Minnesota's running game has relied on Dalvin Cook for 279 yards on 63 carries with two TDs. Harrison Smith, Jordan Hicks and Josh Metellus have had interceptions for the Vikings defense, which has nine sacks on the season.

Matching Up:

The Bears are 31st on offense, 32nd (last) in passing and third in rushing. They are 21st on defense, fourth against the pass and 32nd (last) against the run.

The Vikings are 17th on offense, 12th in passing and 22nd in rushing. They are 27th on defense, 26th against the pass and 23rd against the run.

Injury Report:

Bears: CB Jaylon Johnson (quad) and S Dane Cruikshank (hamstring) are doubtful; RB David Montgomery is questionable.

Vikings: TE Ben Ellefson (groin) is out; DB Andrew Booth Jr. (quad) and WR Jalen Nailor (hamstring) are questionable.

Of Note: The Bears have lost four straight to NFC North opponents. ... This is the first time in 16 years the Bears played at Minneapolis before Thanksgiving. ... The Bears could move Lucas Patrick to left guard or to center for this game. He finished the last game at left guard because of Cody Whitehair's knee injury and Whitehair has gone on injured reserve. ... Robert Quinn has 3 1/2 sacks in his last three games against the Vikings with two forced fumbles. ... Cousins has the NFL's longest current streak of consecutive games with touchdown passes with 34 straight. ... Vikings linebacker Jordan Hicks is the only NFL player with at least 35 tackles, a forced fumble, an interception and one sack. ... Vikings kicker Greg Joseph made five field goals against New Orleans and is the only kicker with more than four in a game in the NFL this season.

Next Week: The Bears play on Thursday Night Football at Soldier Field against the Washington Commanders at 7:15 p.m. The Vikings are at Miami in a noon game Sunday, Oct. 16.

Key Individual Matchups

Bears WR Darnell Mooney vs. Vikings CB Cameron Dantzler

Mooney has found his bearings in the offense, it seems, with his 56-yard catch and 94 receiving yards last week. The video of him getting wide open deep but going totally unnoticed by Justin Fields should get attention from defenses, too. Expect teams to start giving him more underneath if he's going to beat them deep and then the passing connection from Fields to Mooney can open up even more. Dantzler has been a promising cornerback for two years and last year enjoyed a strong second season with three TD passes allowed and a 74.7 passer rating against, to go with a 54.1% completion percentage. The Vikings switched schemes and he's not adjusting in Ed Donatell's scheme quickly. He has given up a passer rating of 97.0 and 76.9% completions in 26 targets. Dantzler never was considered fast but is more crafty. He ran a 4.64-second 40 coming into the NFL but is 6-foot-2 and has a 34-inch vertical.

Bears WR Velus Jones Jr. vs. Vikings CB Chandon Sullivan

Sullivan is currently in the midst of struggling. He had a poor game last week against the Lions and has a passer rating allowed of 106.0 this season as he tried to adjust to playing in Minnesota as the slot cornerback. Sullivan, an undrafted player, was undrafted out of Georgia State and was an extra in Green Bay who performed adequately as a part of a good defense. Now, in an aging and pieced-together defense, he's more easily exposed. Jones didn't get on the field for a single offensive play last week as the Bears tried working him back from a hamstring injury slowly. He muffed the last punt, which cost the Bears a final chance at a tie. He was only on the field 11 special teams plays and made it through without aggravating his injury. So expect the Bears to expand his role moving forward. His 4.31-second 40 speed was the selling point coming out of Tennessee and expect to see the Bears try to take advantage of this facing a secondary that has struggled and is ranked 26th against the pass.

Bears G Lucas Patrick vs. Vikings DE Jonathan Bullard

Patrick had a poor game last week when moved from right guard to left guard after Cody Whitehair's injury but hadn't practiced the position. He's normally an effective blocker wherever he lines up and with a week of work at the spot should be fine. However, it's possible the Bears could move him back to center, the position they acquired him to play. If he moves, it's anyone's guess who plays left guard, possibly veteran guard Michael Schofield. Bullard's name should be familiar to Bears fans. They drafted him in 2018 in the third round and he never worked out, eventually getting replaced by Bilal Nichols. At 290, he's not a fit for this 3-4. Since the Bears cut him before the 2019 season, Bullard has started 12 games and hasn't played in more than nine for a season with Arizona, Seattle, Atlanta and now the Vikings. He has 3 1/2 sacks in seven seasons.

DT Justin Jones vs. Vikings G Ezra Cleveland

Jones has been hit or miss, making big plays but leaving the gap exposed a times in his first four games officially as a 4-3 three technique. He has a sack and five tackles for loss to go with 19 tackles and three pressures. Cleveland was originally drafted as a tackle and wound up finding a spot at guard. The 6-foot-6, 312-pounder hasn't excelled as a pass blocker this year, and owns a 51.8 grade from Pro Football Focus in this area. He has allowed two sacks, 11 pressures and three QB hits.

QB Justin Fields vs. Vikings LB Jordan Hicks

The passing of the Bears offense might not scare the Vikings, but their two 30-something inside linebackers, Eric Kendricks and Jordan Hicks, had trouble tracking Jalen Hurts against the Eagles in a 24-7 loss, as he ran for 57 yards and two touchdowns. Keeping up with the scrambling of Fields should be a problem for the Vikings unless they go with dime coverage all game.

Bears CB Jaylon Jones vs. Vikings WR Justin Jefferson

Jones is an undrafted rookie from Mississippi who has lined up at right cornerback the past two games while Jaylon Johnson has been out injured. He has only been on the field for 57 snaps on defense and targeted only three times, allowing three completions for 31 yards. The Vikings will most likely try to test him more. Jones is not on the field in the base defense as Kyler Gordon has played that side when he isn't in the slot. ... Jefferson is averaging 98 receiving yards a game and in two games got open 25 yards downfield as easily as if it was a wide receiver screen. He burned the Packers for nine catches and 184 yards and New Orleans for 10 catches and 147 yards. Philadelphia limited him to 48 yards on six catches and the Lions totally bottled him up with three catches allowed and 14 yards. Jefferson's last TD catch came in the opener. He had two then and no more.

Bears CB Kyler Gordon vs. Vikings WR Adam Thielen

Thielen was injured part of last year and the Bears didn't see him at full strength but in this new offense he's thriving and on pace for the best season he has had since his best season of 2018, when he made 113 receptions. Thielen has caught 75% of targets, best on the team for wide receivers. Over the years the Bears have done a good job containing Thielen, as he averages 2.8 catches for 28 yards a game against them. That was against a different Bears defense. This one has been burned on the ground by even weaker teams and hasn't been able to put pressure on the quarterback sufficiently to render receivers irrelevant. Gordon has been a step behind most receivers he has faced. His athleticism is apparent, as is his ability to go after the ball if he's in position. What hasn't been apparent is tackling ability, a willingness to be very physical, and this is a trait good slot cornerback need. Their position is so difficult that they can't always stay stride-for-stride with every receiver, so they need to rely on physicality to maintain an edge. Gordon might be better suited to playing solely on the outside.

Bears DE Al-Quadin Muhammad vs. Vikings RT Brian O'Neill

The problem the Bears have had at left defensive end is Muhammad has provided almost no pass rush and Trevis Gipson hasn't been very effective against the run. Both will be trying to face a Pro Bowl right tackle in this game. O'Neill has been blocking more effectively in the running game this year than the passing game, as he has allowed two sacks. Overall, Pro Football Focus ranks him the 16th best tackle in the league. Muhammad hasn't had a sack or a quarterback hit yet and has started all four games. He has had five pressures, but knowing he can actually complete the process would be reassuring at some point for the Bears. While PFF ranks him better against the run than the pass, he has missed two tackles and that's not something the Bears can afford up front at the moment.

Bears LT Braxton Jones vs. Vikings OLB Za'Darius Smith

Back from an injury and still in the division but with Minnesota now, Smith is doing what he did for Green Bay when he was healty. He has three sacks using his outstanding closing ability and great speed to get around the edge. Smith has five QB hits and six tackles for loss. Jones has already been tested by facing Nick Bosa in his first game but that was on treacherous footing for pass rushers. Houston and the Giants didn't challenge Jones with top-line edge rushers. Jones has allowed one sack per game so far but despite the sacks allowed he has maintained his composure and has only one penalty while recording a PFF pass blocking grade of 61.3, respectable for a rookie. However, he has allowed 11 pressures and the Bears can't afford this with their offense in the current state of disarray.

Bears TE Cole Kmet vs. Vikings LB Eric Kendricks

The Bears did start to get more production in the passing game from Kmet in Week 3 and Matt Eberflus praised him for being more involved with a season-high three catches last week but he only gained 5.3 yards per three receptions. He has only been targeted eight times in four games and with Justin Fields constantly looking for someone who gets open, anyone, the eight targets doesn't say much for Kmet's ability to get free of coverage. His blocking on the run has ranged from excellent to sporadic. Kendricks has not had a particularly strong conversion to 3-4 inside linebacker from the 4-3 but has been fairly consistent and his game hasn't lacked in a specific area. Kmet has hurt the Vikings in the past with 3.3 catches for 34.5 yards per four games but has never scored on them. To think he'll have a big game this week runs contrary to what he has done so far this season.

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