Vaunted to taunted: Vikes’ ‘D’ will rebound

After Khalil Mack’s debut with the Bears on Sept. 9, some puffy-chested Bears fans engaged in a spirited Twitter debate with Vikings fans about which team had the better defense. Except for dismissing Akiem Hicks as an impact player, the Vikings fans were right. The Bears’ defense, while underrated, didn’t have the skins on the wall to match the Vikings, who were ranked No. 1 in total defense and points allowed last season.

Three weeks later, the situation is changing rapidly — not just because the Mack-led Bears are skyrocketing, but because the Vikings’ vaunted defense is plummeting. In back-to-back games, the Vikings allowed 27 points to the Bills — all in the first 24 minutes — and then were torched by Jared Goff in a 38-31 loss to the Rams last Thursday. After four weeks, the Vikings are 21st in total defense, 27 in yards allowed per play and 22nd in points allowed.

The Vikings’ defense hasn’t recovered from a collapse in last year’s playoffs, when they allowed 24 points in the second half against the Saints and, after the Minnesota Miracle, allowed 31 points in a 38-7 loss to the Eagles in the NFC Championship Game at Lincoln Financial Field.

The pass rush has suffered without sack leader Everson Griffen, but the Vikings have been out of sync on every level. Still, defense generally is a constant in football, and the Vikes figure to regain their bite eventually. The scene of the crime is a fitting place to begin the recovery.

Pick: Vikings 23, Eagles 13.