Josh Dobbs Newest Among Viking Threats

With all due respect to Josh Dobbs, he's not the biggest problem the Bears face against the Minnesota Vikings in a Monday Night Football road game.

The journeyman backup QB has given three solid performances and definitely has their respect.

"I commend him, man," Bears linebacker Tremain Edmunds said. "That's not easy to do, to come in and start right away.

"Obviously, to learn an NFL playbook, that's tough anyway. But to do it in a short amount of time that he did, I definitely take my hat off to him."

Dobbs, known as the Passtronaut because he studied aerospace engineering and interned at NASA, has completed 65.6% for 647 yards, four TDs and one interception with a 94.4 rating in his three Vikings. He had posted passer ratings of 39.1 with Pittsburgh, 73.8 with Tennessee and 81.2 in Arizona.

"Mobile QB, played him my first game of the year," Montez Sweat said. "He's a strong, mobile QB. He likes to make plays on the run."

What Dobbs isn't going to do as injured Kirk Cousins' replacement is knock Justin Fields out of games for a long time.

The Vikings have plenty of trouble brewing for the Bears offense and passer and it's on that side now here the great danger lies for the Bears.

Here are Vikings who can be the biggest problems for the Bears on Monday night.

1. DE Danielle Hunter

He's already been involved in a play to injure Fields and had little problem with Bears rookie tackle Darnell Wright in the first game. Hunter is rated overall by Pro Football Focus 34th of 104 edge players, although he's much better against the pass than the run. He has 12 sacks on the year and has been far more effective at rushing the passer than the last player Wright had to block, Aidan Hutchinson. Hunter had two sacks and seven tackles in the last Bears game and also deflected a pass.

2. LB Jordan Hicks

He's been particularly effective against the Bears. In his last four games he has a touchdown return on a fumble, 31 tackles, a sack, two tackles for loss and a pass defended. Hicks even had a role against them in the 2018 double-doink game playing for Philadelphia with three tackles, including one for loss. He has a penchant for making plays when they most hurt the Bears and is effective keeping Justin Fields' running in check.

3. TE TJ Hockenson

Hockenson never has been quite in the class of Travis Kelce or George Kittle but has this season elevated himself when the Vikings needed him most, after Justin Jefferson's injury. Hockenson has been targeted 102 times and is on course for a career high. He has 75 catches, which is only 11 catches short of a career high. He has four TD catches and his 73.5% catch percentage is the highest of his career. The Bears kept him relatively contained in the first game with six receptions but only 50 yards and no TDs. It was his third-lowest yards per target this year, but Dobbs will be looking to him a lot simply because inexperienced or new QBs look to the middle short on routes for plenty of help.

4. WR Jordan Addison

The rookie receiver had only three catches for 28 yards in Chicago in the earlier game but one went for a critical touchdown in a close game. Addison has 48 catches for 647 yards and leads all rookie wide receivers in the league in touchdowns with seven. Addison didn't exactly take over when Jefferson went out with a hamstring injury but did step up and complemented Hockenson. The Bears will need to get their best coverage men on Addison if Jefferson misses again, as expected. This means Jaylon Johnson.

5. LT Christian Darrisaw

The No. 1 graded tackle in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus, he has allowed three sacks with two penalties this season. At 6-5, 315, he is more than a match for Bears 280-pound edge Demarcus Walker. PFF said he didn't allow a single pressure in the first game facing Walker and Yannick Ngakoue. The rotation now includes Montez Sweat and this could challenge Darrisaw.

6. S Camryn Bynum

One thing Brian Flores has brought as coordinator to the defense--or is it they brought to his scheme--is more effective safety play. The secondary overall has performed at a high level in Flores' scheme and Bynum is a good example. He's the seventh-rated safety in the NFL according to PFF and has two interceptions, eight pass breakups, a forced fumble and 91 tackles. In his third season, and first with Flores' scheme, Bynum has dropped his passer rating against from 123 to 70.1 while going from eight touchdowns allowed to zero.

7. RB Ty Chandler

Not a name well known to other teams, Chandler has begun to make an impact in his second season. Alexander Matteson remains the starter but averages 3.7 yards a carry. Chandler has begun showing more potential for bigger gains. He's had 33 carries at 4.8 yards per carry and nine catches for 80 yards. His role has become slightly expanded. The Vikings have Cam Akers for some tough yardage but the 5-foot-11, 204-pound Chandler could hurt the Bears as a receiver or runner.

8. S Harrison Smith

The 12-year veteran and long-time pain in the side for the Bears is still playing at a high level with a passer rating against of 82.0 and 66.7% completions when targeted. He has missed only three of 74 tackle attempts. His physicality and mobility make him an ideal fit in this blitz-heavy scheme but it really could have been a good combination about four or five years ago.

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