Last Stop Before Firing Day for Both Teams?

Bears coach Matt Nagy has managed to steer the Bears through disasters well after it became apparent the team would not be in the hunt for a playoff spot.

They had sealed their postseason fate by going 4-7 with six games remaining, yet have stayed competitive.

The 6-10 Bears fought on through a bad COVID-19 outbreak and through injuries. The Bears rank sixth in the NFL in weighted approximate games lost due to absent players, according to the website Mangamelost.com. They are ninth in games lost according to approximate player value.

The interesting aspect of this is the Giants faced the Bears last week and ranked fifth in weighted approximate games lost by players and sixth in approximate player value lost, hit worse even by injuries than the Bears. The Bears obviously were the team still focused and trying while the Giants had packed it in, although their defense under coordinator Patrick Graham gave a determined effort.

Teams playing in the face of such adversity do reflect their coaching staff's ability to maintain support but after three years of seeing offensive failure it's likely to require more than keeping players focused in meaningless games to save Nagy's job.

"In the end, we all look back and say, 'How did we react during a tough time?' " Bears coach Matt Nagy said after Friday's final practice. "I think everybody in this building can tell you, 'We reacted pretty well,' and let everything else happen the way it's supposed to happen."

The Bears face one last game like this Sunday.

The Minnesota Vikings, on the other hand, just suffered elimination against Green Bay and could be playing for Mike Zimmer's job.

Whether the Vikings can rise to the level the Bears have achieved for their meaningless games is the key unanswered question in the finale.

Here's who wins and why between the Bears and Vikings.

Bears Running the Ball

Keep an eye on whether Michael Pierce has cleared COVID-19 for the Vikings. He was still on their list as of Saturday. He is one of their keys to stopping the run. The Vikings still rank only 27th stopping the run but did a solid job shutting off the Bears running attack in the first game at Chicago. This is no small feat because David Montgomery's running always looks better when the threat of Justin Fields also running or passing is available. The Bears still haven't figured out how to run out of the shotgun. Last week in beating the Giants so easily, their running backs averaged only 3.04 yards per carry. It's typical of how their offensive line just hasn't produced overall as run blockers when the team lines up in a lot of shotgun and uses more inside zone blocking. The blocking and scheme haven't worked. No Edge.

Bears Passing the Ball

Andy Dalton's throws last week lacked sharpness but it was to be expected as he hadn't played since throwing four interceptions against Arizona. He's at least had two good days of preparation for this game. Allen Robinson should play a bigger factor now with health regained more from his bout with COVID-19. The Vikings might rank 26th defending the pass but still give teams fits on third down as they are sixth in the league. The Minnesota pass rush should be more formidable in this one with better footing indoors and facing less mobile Dalton. No Edge.

Vikings Running the Ball

A problem for the Bears all year and now they don't even have Akiem Hicks to help plug the holes in the finale. They gave up 161 yards on the ground to the Giants even while dominating the game with their pass rush, and allowed 132 rushing yards in the last game against Dalvin Cook and Co. Edge to the Vikings.

Vikings Passing the Ball

This passing game matchup in the last game between the two was a complete anomaly. The Bears used practice squad players and were able to hold Kirk Cousins to 61 net passing yards. Cousins will see Bears starters this time. Robert Quinn will have better footing to come after Cousins, but one pass rusher can always be double-teamed, as Khalil Mack has found out over the years. The Bears also had Hicks in the last game with the Vikings playing at the highest level he has attained since the very early season. When Cousins had to worry about the inside pass rush as well as Quinn, he was bailing out quickly. He'll be able to step into his throws this time and that's always a key with him. Edge to the Vikings.

Special Teams

Any Bears return advantage is eliminated since Jakeem Grant is out. The indoor setting tends to even out the kicking battle. If the Bears own an edge here it's only very slight. At least in this one they will have coverage players on punts and kicks who have done it all year rather than pulling in practice squad types as they had to do when COVID-19 hit so hard in Chicago. No Edge.

Coaching

Matt Nagy still has a good edge on Mike Zimmer in their series and has managed to get the team through hazards. Zimmer's team has underachieved once they were in contention for the wild card. Neither coach should be back for another go-around next season in this series. Edge to the Bears.

Final Score

The Line: Vikings by 4. Over/under 44.

Gene Chamberlain's Record to Date: 14-2 (11-5 vs. the spread).

Prediction: Vikings 24, Bears 16

Winning on the road late in the season is always difficult for teams who are eliminated from the chase and the Bears got their one extreme surprise in this respect when they upset Seattle. Expecting another one against an opponent that knows you so well is unrealistic. Bears' red zone problems will surface again in this one against an opponent with a defense that is at its best near the goal line or on third downs.

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