Bears at Vikings Offense finally has life, but key to reaching playoffs is still defense
NOON SUNDAY AT U. S. BANK STADIUM| FOX- 32 | VIKINGS BY 3 ( O/ U 47 )
Much of the Bears’ success is hinged on the premise their defense will be the best of the four units on the field each Sunday when stacking up the offenses and defenses of both teams.
That has been the case many weeks, certainly in Sunday’s blowout of the Texans and the
Week 5 victory over theBuccaneers.
But it hasn’t added up to as many wins as the Bears had hoped for as they head to Minnesota for what amounts to an elimination game in theNFCplayoff race against theVikings with both teams entering at 6-7.
For all the recent focus that has been on the offense, which finally has come out of hibernation, if the Bears are going to make the next threeweeks interesting, they’re going to lean on the defense.
It’s the best and maybe only chance they have of overtaking theVikings and Cardinals (7-6) in the hunt for the seventh seed and final wild-card spot.
Sure, it comes across as fanciful when considering the team is only one victory removed froma six-game losing streak, but it’s what the players and coaches have to motivate them for the stretch run and it’s going to be the reality nowwith an expanded playoff format. Mediocre teams still are going to be in the hunt every December.
“There is a sense of urgency around here,” said defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano, whose unit rallied against the Texans after two uncharacteristicly poor performances. “You sawwhen they came back for the first time(Wednesday).
“There’s a sense of urgency froma physical standpoint, amental standpoint, and then our preparation is vital. It’s a confident group thatwe have on defense. They preparewell. They’ll go playwell.”
Giving the Bears optimism is their track record against running backDalvin Cook — who enters with 1,352 yards, second in the NFL, and 14 rushing touchdowns, tied for first. Cook has averaged only 2.8 yards per carry in four games against the Bears, his lowest total against any opponent he has faced more than once.
The Bears bottled up Cook for most of theWeek 10 meeting at Soldier Field, limiting him to 33 yards on 19 carries until defensive linemanAkiem Hickswas sidelined with a hamstring injury late in the third quarter. Without Hicks anchoring the front, Cook ran for 63 yards on 11 attempts the rest of the game.
TheVikings offense is centered around Cook and the outside-zone running scheme GaryKubiak operates. The passing game reflects the running plays, and quarterback Kirk Cousins is best when he’s outside the pocket and operating in playaction. As dynamic as rookie wide receiver Justin Jefferson has been— he leads the teamwith 65 receptions for 1,078 yards (16.6 average) and seven touchdowns— and as consistent as veteranAdam Thielen is— he had two of his team-high 12 touchdowncatches against the Bears— the offense runs throughCook and his ability to threaten defenses.
The Bears have succeeded because their front sevenmatches upwell against the Vikings offensive line. It’s not just Hicks or nose tackle Eddie Goldman, whowas the fulcrum of the run defense the previous two seasons, but the fit of the entire defense. Former Bears offensive coordinator John Shoop used to talk about it taking a village to run the ball. The same effort is required to stop the run, especially with theVikings having the ability to strike over the topwhen Cook is a decoy.
“It’s swarming, disciplined game-tackling,” Pagano said. “Setting great edges, not getting cut out of your gaps inside, backside chase mechanics. It starts oneway and that stretch-cut scheme thatKubiak runs, they do a phenomenal job. And so it’s all 11, again, working as one.
“And then when that’s all said and done, violently tearing off blocks and running to the football with a sense of urgency and passion and getting as many hats on this kid aswe can get. It ought to sound like BB’s off a tin can. That’s the onlyway you stop this great runner.”
The pass rush finally broke out against the Texans— no small task against shifty DeshaunWatson— totaling seven sacks, their most in a game since 2005 and as many as they totaled the previous five games combined. Outside linebacker KhalilMack dominated, and the rest fell into place.
“I think he just finally said, ‘OK, regardless of who they put on me— one, two, three, whatever it is —I’m taking this thing over. We’re not going to be denied awin today,’ ” Pagano said ofMack. “He and the other guys, theywent out and did just that.
“Thatwas a dominant performance. We’ve seen games like that before. You guys have seen it out of him. We need the same thing thisweek out of him.”
Cousins has been sacked 10 times the last twoweeks, a function of theVikings trailing the Bucs and needing to rally against the Panthers theweek before. But it’s also a sign that the Bears should be able to apply pressure with the hope of generating some takeaways. Cousins has lost a fumble in four consecutive games.
It figures to be a low-scoring affair. Six of the last sevenmeetings have totaled 40 points or fewer, the kind of games that can swing on a turnover.
The Bears have been better on offense of late. Quarterback Mitch Trubisky has been effective, they’ve been efficient in the red zone andDavidMontgomery has runwell the last threeweeks.
But if the Bears have visions of winning and having something to play for when they head to Jacksonville, Fla., the followingweek, they need a signature defensive performance.
Aloss will not eliminate them from postseason contention, but oddswould be heavily stacked against a team that has been in a rut.
“We’ve been looking for it, andwe finally got a good complementary football game and got a victory where I think everybody on the team feels like they contributed and had something to dowith it,” safeties coach Sean Desai said. “That just helps builds some confidence in everybody.
“We’ve had that all the time, but as you all knowsometimes you need the results to reinstill that.”