Huge Vikings-Bears showdown next week gets FOX's No. 1 broadcast team

For the second time in three weeks, FOX's No. 1 broadcast crew will have the call as J.J. McCarthy and the Vikings face off against a divisional opponent. Kevin Burkhardt, Tom Brady, Erin Andrews, and Tom Rinaldi will be in the booth at U.S. Bank Stadium next Sunday for a critical Week 11 game between the 4-5 Vikings and the 6-3 Chicago Bears. It's a noon kickoff.

The Burkhardt and Brady crew was just on the call for the Vikings' impressive, unexpected upset win over the Lions in Detroit in Week 9. During that game, Brady provided quite a bit of insightful commentary on the things McCarthy was doing well and the things he was struggling with. Afterwards, one former Michigan quarterback awarded another with Brady's weekly 'LFG Player of the Game' trophy.

Maybe having Brady in the house will be what McCarthy needs to pick up his first career win at home. Sandwiched around a five-week injury absence, the Vikings' young quarterback has gone 2-0 on the road this season, but both of those wins have been followed by a letdown loss in Minneapolis. One small-sample trend will end next Sunday; either McCarthy will pick up his first win at U.S. Bank Stadium and stay perfect in NFC North games or he'll lose his first divisional contest and remain winless at home.

McCarthy wasn't particularly good in Minnesota's loss to the Ravens on Sunday, but he also showed some flashes of his talent and needed more help from his teammates than he received. It was just the fourth career start for the 22-year-old quarterback, so patience is required. In Brady's fifth career start in 2001, he threw four interceptions in a loss to the Broncos. His career turned out alright.

This is a massive game for the Vikings' slim postseason hopes. Realistically, it's pretty close to a must-win situation if Minnesota wants to stay alive in the hunt for a playoff spot. The Vikings almost certainly need to go 3-1 over their next four games in order to get to 7-6 and have a chance at finishing strong.

Week 11: vs. Bears (6-3)
Week 12: at Packers (5-2-1, pending MNF)
Week 13: at Seahawks (7-2)
Week 14: vs. Commanders (3-7)

The doable path to 3-1 is to beat the Bears, steal one upset over a tough two-week stretch of road games, and then beat the Commanders at home. If the Vikings fall to Chicago this week, ahead of trips to Green Bay and Seattle, they'd be pretty close to eliminated. If they can get to 5-5 and cement a head-to-head tiebreaker over the Bears, they'll still be alive.

McCarthy made his NFL debut in Chicago two months ago, and after struggling for three quarters, he scored three total touchdowns in the fourth quarter of an electric comeback win. Since starting 0-2, the Bears have won six of their last seven games, although they've feasted on a soft schedule and won four of those contests by five points or fewer.

The Vikings have opened as three-point home favorites over Chicago.

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