We’ve Met Before: Vikings at Bears
By author
Series: Vikings lead 52-46-2
Last Meeting(s): Chicago swept Minnesota in 2010 in two pretty ugly games. In Week 10, Brett Favre threw three interceptions and Chicago won 27-13 at home. The Week 15 game was played on a Monday night in the Gophers’ TCF Bank Stadium during a snow storm. The Vikings had one of those suspiciously too-easy opening drives, which was capped by a 23-yard touchdown pass from Favre to Percy Harvin. Minnesota fell apart after that. The next few drives ended with: a Favre interception; a fumbled snap that killed a third down play (punt); a failed 3rd and 2 at midfield (punt); a third down sack that knocked Favre out of the game (punt). Chicago won the game 40-14.
Current streak(s): Chicago has won three in a row overall and nine of the last 10 in Illinois. The Vikings last win at Soldier Field came in October 2007. Ryan Longwell hit a 55-yard field goal as time expired after the Vikings blew a 31-17 fourth quarter lead and nearly wasted a 226-yard, three-touchdown Adrian Peterson performance. Maybe the Vikings should call Dennis Green before the game: Minnesota was 8-1 at Soldier Field between 1992-2000 (Minnesota’s 2001 loss at Chicago started the current 1-9 run, and Green was the coach of that game, too). If we’re lucky, Chicago will call Dave Wannstedt.
Hester Note: Devin Hester has killed the Vikings in the last five seasons. In nine games against the Vikings (he was inactive for one meeting, in 2009), he has seven touchdowns—and don’t forget that he did not play offense during his rookie season (2006). Three of his touchdowns have been on punt returns (2006, 2007, 2010) and, among his four receiving touchdowns against Minnesota, one was a 65-yarder and one was an 81-yarder. Hester averages 15.9 yards per punt return against Minnesota, which is two yards higher than his career average of 12.6. To compare, he has similar numbers against Green Bay: 23 punt returns for 356 yards (15.5 average) and two touchdowns. Detroit has had better luck: Hester has 30 punt returns for 294 yards (9.8) and no touchdowns against the Lions. But, Hester’s only kickoff return for a touchdown against the NFC North came against Detroit.
Peterson Note: Like Hester, Adrian Peterson has saved some of his biggest games for NFC North rivals. Peterson has played against the Bears seven times in his career (he missed the Week 15 game in 2010) and has scored 11 rushing touchdowns, compared to eight TDs in nine games against Detroit and five TDs in eight games against Green Bay. Peterson has rushed for 100-plus yards three times against Chicago and scored two or more touchdowns four times.
Bad Quarterbacks Note: Since 2001, a span encompasses 20 games between Chicago and Minnesota, 17 quarterbacks have thrown a pass in the series (not counting Randy Moss, Mitch Berger, and Brad Maynard pass attempts in these games). Chicago has been more stable at quarterback in recent years, but the Bears contributed 10 guys to this tally, while Minnesota has trotted seven quarterbacks onto the field against the Bears. Some names you might remember and probably would like to forget: Henry Burris, Chad Hutchinson, Brooks Bollinger, Tarvaris Jackson (couldn’t help myself). Daunte Culpepper has been the most common quarterback in the series during this time; he started six games for Minnesota.
Last Note: Jared Allen has 8.5 sacks and an interception in six games (all as a Viking) against Chicago in his career.
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