The Chicago Bears (2-2) will travel north to face the Minnesota Vikings (3-1) on Sunday, where the Bears will look to knock off the NFC North division leaders.
We already looked at some causes for concern heading into the Week 5 matchup. While the Bears’ passing offense concerns are the same, the Vikings are coming off a short week after a trip to London. While Chicago opens the game as a 7.5-point underdog, there’s a reason for optimism.
As the Bears prepare for the Vikings, there are reasons to be encouraged about Chicago heading into Sunday’s game.
1
The (possible) return of David Montgomery
David Montgomery was back at practice on Thursday and is a game-time decision for the Bears. Before suffering an ankle injury, Montgomery ran 35 times for 149 yards and caught five passes for 38 yards.
The Vikings are one of the worst teams to keep running backs out of the endzone. So Montgomery and Khalil Herbert should have a great chance to score if the Bears’ offense can move the ball.
Also, the fourth-year running back is a much better pass blocker than Herbert, which is much needed given Justin Fields’ tendency to hold onto the ball.
2
Vikings are coming off a long trip to London
The Vikings and Saints just played the first London game of the season in Week 4. Minnesota returns home on a short week with little rest to host Chicago. Historically, teams in these games score less than their season average. For Minnesota, that would mean less than 21 points, which benefits the Bears and their low-scoring offense.
3
Minnesota's low points differential
The Vikings’ point differential is only 6 points. Excluding their week one 23-7 win over the Packers, Minnesota beat the Lions and Saints by four and three points, respectively.
The Vikings defense is near the bottom of the league in yards allowed, underperforming against the run and the pass. Chicago can exploit Minnesota’s defense, but the Bears will need to play much better on offense than they showed last week.
If the Bears’ offense can keep up with the Vikings, this could be a much closer game than the 7.5-point spread implies.
