Minnesota Vikings vs Bears in Week 11: The Chicago perspective
By Adam Carlson
3) The Bears have surprised a lot of people both offensively and defensively this season. What were the biggest changes that turned them into playoff contenders and how does that translate into their gameplan against the Vikings?
I think that it starts at the top with head coach Matt Nagy. He has energized this team and really changed the culture. The Bears are playing complementary football. They’re taking decent care of the football and doing a decent job taking it away.
The game plan for Sunday will be simple and follow the same formula – take care of the football, be aggressive on both sides of the ball and pressure the opposing quarterback. The defense will swarm to the ball and try to limit YAC. They have done a good job shutting down opposing runners and have only given up one rushing touchdown all season.
4) Who are one player from the Bears offense and one from the defense who Vikings fans may not be familiar with but should make a huge impact on the game?
On offense, look out for rookie wide receiver Anthony Miller. He’ll do most of his work out of the slot and has been able to get wide open. He’s been building chemistry with Trubisky and should be a factor Sunday night.
On defense, I’ll go with another rookie, inside linebacker Roquan Smith. Smith got off to a shaky start in Chicago, missing all of the preseason with a contract dispute. He’s quickly making Bears fans forget his holdout as he’s been piling up a ton of tackles. He looks to be a special talent that will continue the Bears proud linebacker tradition.