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Vikings Injury Could Clear Away Major Headache for Bears Defense

The Bears aren't sure if they'll face Vikings starting QB Kyler Murray or Carson Wentz but there is a potentially more damaging injury situation for Minnesota.
Gene Chamberlain|
Vikings running back Jordan Mason tries to run through the tackle of former Bears safety Kevin Byard in last year's opener.
Vikings running back Jordan Mason tries to run through the tackle of former Bears safety Kevin Byard in last year's opener. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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Chicago Bears

A major obstacle has been cleared away for the Bears in Sunday's game against the Minnesota Vikings without a down being played.

An injury enters into the equation, and it's not the concussion protocol status of Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray, who is still iffy for the game.

The Vikings had to put running back Jordan Mason on injured reserve with a thumb fracture suffered against the Packers while helping in the 39-22 comeback win. The impact is huge. It was Mason's physical running that helped the Vikings turn around their season-opening game at Soldier Field against the Bears last year.

Mason had 54 of his 68 yards in the second half and the rushing yards proved the impetus for a comeback 27-24 win.

Mason jarred Bears defense last year

The Bears' run defense had been an issue last year and they gave up 5.0 yards a carry, finishing 29th in yards per carry. On the face of it, they seem no better off at 5.7 yards allowed per carry in their opening win over Carolina but the Panthers gained 52 yards on six carries on their final drive of the game with substitutes playing for both teams. Until that point, they had gained 63 yards on 16 carries, less than 4.0 an attempt.

On Sunday, they'll be facing a familiar face in nemesis Aaron Jones, the former Packers back who will be 32 years old in December. He'll be backed up by Demond Claiborne and DeeJay Dallas. Claiborne is a 2026 sixth-round draft pick from Wake Forest, who gained 2,599 yards in his four years with the Demon Deacons. He's a completely different type of back at 188 pounds. He's more of a third-down type. Dallas is a power back like Mason at 225 pounds, but he hasn't had much of an NFL career with 538 yards in seven seasons with five teams.

Then again, Jones has 997 yards on 211 carries with eight TDs against the Bears. He is older now, though, and was listed only as a co-starter by the Vikings.

Jones ran for 40 yards on 12 carries in Sunday's win over Green Bay.

Minnesota's offensive approach always will be a huge emphasis on passing, with receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, but Murray hasn't cleared the concussion protocol. They did have him listed as a limited participant in practice on Wednesday and he has been attending meetings.

Backup quarterback Carson Wentz is a Bears problem, anyway. He stepped in and won Sunday's game.

"That's why he's here," Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell told reporters. "For him to come in and do what he did and just be part of that calming presence that allowed our team to continue playing, I can't say enough about him."

The Bears know full well what Wentz is capable of doing. They are 0-4 against him in games he started over the years. Three of the losses came when Wentz started for the Philadelphia Eagles as a young QB, and the last one came in 2022 when he had a season with Washington and the Commmanders won 12-7 on the game's final play at Soldier Field.

The Bears do have some special insight into Wentz that they lacked in the past. It was Bears offensive coordinator Press Taylor who was the Eagles' assistant quarterbacks coach, then QB coach and passing game coordinator throughout Wentz's career with the Eagles. Then Taylor went to the Colts and provided Indianapolis with information that led them to make a trade to acquire Wentz for a second- and third-round pick before the 2021 season.

Wentz probably has never had a receiver corps as dangerous as the Vikings have, though, with Jefferson, Addison and Jauan Jennings, as well as tight end T.J. Hockenson.

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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.

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