Containing Chicago’s Playmakers Will be Key to Victory for Vikings

Recent history suggests that the Minnesota Vikings will probably lose at Soldier Field on Sunday to the Chicago Bears; after all, it has been an astonishing seven years since the Vikings have pulled out a road victory at the stadium, with the last one being on October 14, 2007.

What recent history doesn’t take into account, however, is that the Bears have hit rock-bottom after its embarrassing 55-14 loss to Green Bay last weekend on Sunday Night Football. With this defeat, the Bears became the first team in NFL history to surrender 50 points or more in two consecutive games, as they also lost to the the New England Patriots 51-23 in the week preceding their Sunday Night Football loss.

Still, the Vikings have no right to underestimate Chicago this weekend; they simply cannot afford to do so. Minnesota is heading into this match-up fresh off of a bye week and is currently on a two-game win streak, but needs to retain its tenacity moving forward in order to have any hope at playoff contention.

The Vikings last two wins over the Buccaneers and Redskins were crucial victories, but the Vikings must continue their good play in all three phases of the game in order to leave Chicago victorious, as no wins are guaranteed the NFL.

Although a myriad of factors will affect the outcome of Sunday’s game, that which particularly comes to mind will be the Vikings’ ability to contain the Bears’ offensive playmakers. While they have been lacking on the offensive side of the ball as of late, one cannot deny that Chicago has arguably the most dynamic group of skill position players in the league.

Nov 2, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer questions a call to head linesman Jerry Bergman in the game against the Washington Redskins in the third quarter at TCF Bank Stadium. The Vikings win 29-26. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

This group starts with running back Matt Forte, the most integral part of this offense as well as the most productive. He currently grades out as Pro Football Focus’ seventh-best running back of all seeing 50% of snaps on the field or more, with an overall grade of 5.1.

What makes Forte such a great running back is that he is not only a tremendous runner, but is also one of the best in the NFL at his position in terms of receiving and pass-blocking. There are few skill-position players who are nearly as complete as he all aspects of playing offense. Forte has 147 rushing attempts on the season for 616 yards and three touchdowns, while adding 61 receptions for 517 yards and another three touchdowns.  Judging by these statistics, it is clear that the Vikings’ defensive gameplan this weekend must be centered around Forte.

The problem with keying in Forte is that he is not the only stud on Chicago’s offense. Immediately following him are wide receivers Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery, who combine to form one of the league’s most dominant one-two punches at the wide receiver position in all of football. In 2013, they combined for 189 receptions, 2,716 yards and 19 touchdowns.

Nov 9, 2014; Green Bay, WI, USA; Chicago Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall (15) catches a touchdown pass against Green Bay Packers cornerback Sam Shields (37) in the third quarter at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

This year, Marshall has 42 receptions for 496 yards and six touchdowns, although three of those touchdowns came in a week two win over San Francisco; and Jeffrey has 44 receptions for 626 yards and three touchdowns.

There has been an obvious drop-off in production from last season to this for these two players, and much of it can be credited to the poor play of quarterback Jay Cutler, but the Vikings secondary must still prioritize containing them on Sunday, as they are still game-changers who can alter the course of the game at any point in time.

Discussing these three highly impactful players can make it easy to forget about tight end Martellus Bennett, but he’s certainly not someone for defenses to sleep on, and the Vikings especially should know this.

Last season, in a home game against the Vikings, as he posted 7 receptions for 76 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winning score to beat the Vikings 31-30. Bennett got to a fast start this season, scoring four touchdowns in the Bears’ first three games, but has slowed down considerably since then. He does have 562 receiving yards, however, he has scored only one touchdown since week three. Nevertheless, it will be important for the Vikings to keep him quiet.

Oct 12, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Chicago Bears tight end Martellus Bennett (83) makes a move on Atlanta Falcons linebacker Joplo Bartu (59) after a catch by Bennett in the second quarter of their game at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

The Vikings pass defense has done a 180 since ranking second-to-last in passing yards per game at 287.2 and worst in total passing touchdowns allowed with 37 last season. This year, the unit ranks fourth-best in passing yards allowed at 213.6 and are tied for ninth in passing touchdowns allowed with 14. The secondary has been marked by the spectacular play of safety Harrison Smith, who has been a top-three safety in football this season and currently has an overall grade of 11.3 on PFF.

The Vikings cornerbacks have put themselves together a pretty solid season as well. Xavier Rhodes has kept opposing number one receivers in check, and although he seemed to be a free agency bust early in the year, Captain Munnerlyn has really come on in these past two games, catching an interception in each one.

Lastly, Josh Robinson has had a tremendous turnaround-season under the guidance of rookie head coach Mike Zimmer. He has done a tremendous job of keeping the ball away from receivers, as opposing quarterbacks are only completing 50% of their passes thrown his way, as opposed to last season, when he allowed quarterbacks to complete 84.8% of  passes thrown towards his coverage.

Robinson has an overall PFF grade of 3.2 this year, which is fascinating considering his repugnant 2013 grade of -8.6. It is incredible to see what a difference a head coaching change can make in such such a short period of time.

How each of these skill position players perform for Chicago on Sunday is highly contingent on the performance of Bears quarterback Jay Cutler. Will he flop again for the third straight week? Only time will tell.

Nonetheless, the Vikings will need to do their best to contain each of the Bears’ offensive threats, beginning with Matt Forte, the focal point of Chicago’s offense. If the Vikings can consistently pressure Cutler throughout the duration of the game while keeping these offensive weapons in check, they will have a great shot at coming out of this game victoriously.