The Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings renew their divisional rivalry this weekend in Minneapolis. The Bears are coming off a dismal 20-12 loss against the New York Giants that dropped them to .500 and are looking for an offensive breakout to try and avoid having a losing record for the first time this season. The Vikings, meanwhile, are tied for the division lead at 3-1 and are coming off a nail-biting victory over the New Orleans Saints in London just one week ago. They will try and be rested enough to secure the win and keep their lead alive.
It’s going to be a tough game for the Bears but we’ve seen weird things happen in this series over the years that could turn the tide quickly. Here are our bold predictions ahead of Bears and Vikings.
1
Dalvin Cook gets his first 100-yard game of the year
Contrary to popular belief, bold predictions don’t always mean good things for the Bears. This one is probably not bold enough either, but we have to start somewhere, right?
Vikings running back Dalvin Cook hasn’t been the elite player we’re used to seeing yet, but he has a juicy matchup against the Bears defense that has “breakout game” plastered all over it. The Bears are at the bottom of the league when it comes to stopping the run, allowing a whopping 183.3 yards per game. Cook should see plenty of carries like Saquon Barkley did last week and will easily turn them into over 100 rushing yards on the day.
2
David Montgomery returns to rush for 100 yards
The ground game is going to be prominently featured on Sunday for both teams, but the Bears will get their starter back in time for a big performance. David Montgomery missed last week’s game with an ankle injury he suffered against the Houston Texans. The Bears ground game (and pass protection) wasn’t the same without him but thankfully he’s already starting to practice and calls himself a game-time decision for Sunday.
Montgomery is one of the toughest runners in the NFL and won’t back down from a game unless he absolutely must. He’s going to be back this week and will get the bulk of the carries against a Vikings defense that’s allowing 131 yards per game on the ground. If there were any doubts about Montgomery’s value to the team, he’s going to squash them during this game.
3
Sam Mustipher gets benched during the game
We started off easy, but let’s really get bold with these predictions now. The Bears offensive line has been putrid this season, particularly when it comes to their interior linemen. Center Sam Mustipher has been under the most fire, considering he wasn’t supposed to even start when training camp began. Mustipher allowed six quarterback pressures last week against the Giants according to Pro Football Focus and was in over his head all game long.
Injuries have impacted the interior of the line, with Lucas Patrick now playing left guard with Cody Whitehair missing multiple weeks. But after Mustipher gets bullied by players such as Dalvin Tomlinson, enough will finally be enough and he’ll be removed in favor of Patrick, who will then be replaced by Michael Schofield. There’s no way things improve in this game and I’m predicting the coaches reach their breaking point.
4
Velus Jones Jr. scores a special teams TD
It was a debut to forget for Velus Jones Jr. last week. The rookie wide receiver played in his first game of the year after missing time with a hamstring injury. He only played on special teams as a returner and wound up sealing the game for the Giants when he muffed a punt late in the fourth quarter.
Jones is going to get chances to rebound from his mistake this week and he’s going to bounce back in a big way. Now that he has a game under his belt and the nerves are gone, Jones is going to take a return to the house at some point during the game. His speed is still stellar and when he gets going, he’s difficult to stop. It’s also only fitting considering star returners such as Devin Hester and Cordarrelle Patterson have both had success scoring special teams touchdowns against the Vikings. Jones will get off to that hot start, too.
5
Eddie Jackson snags another INT
Nobody is playing better on defense than Eddie Jackson at the moment. The veteran safety has had a career renaissance this season, snagging three interceptions and showing how improved he is at tackling and diagnosing offensive plays. Jackson will likely be busy yet again this Sunday as he’s going to need to help stop wide receiver Justin Jefferson.
The Vikings may not throw the ball a ton, especially if Cook and the running game get things going on the ground. But Jackson is seemingly near the ball on every play lately and he already has two interceptions off Kirk Cousins in his career. There’s little reason to suggest Jackson can’t make it a third this week with how well he’s seeing the field.
