CHICAGO, IL - NOVEMBER 18: Stefon Diggs #14 of the Minnesota Vikings runs the football out of bounds against Prince Amukamara #20 of the Chicago Bears in the fourth quarter at Soldier Field on November 18, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /
CHICAGO, IL – NOVEMBER 18: Dalvin Cook #33 of the Minnesota Vikings is hit by Kyle Fuller #23 of the Chicago Bears in the first quarter at Soldier Field on November 18, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /
The bad things from Week 11
Assessing the situation. There were several instances where the Vikings lined up in obvious running formations and didn’t adjust or failed to make changes when the Bears did the same thing. The worst thing is planning for trickery when there isn’t trickery to be found.
Ball security. The Vikings have had an issue with fumbling this season. giving the ball away on the ground eight times (good to tie for 4th most in the league). It’s hard to win games when you lose the turnover battle due to fumbles and interceptions due to poor decisions.
Accounting for the QB. There’s nothing more defeating on a routine play than watching a quarterback run for a long first down when you had them in a long situation. Mitchell Trubisky made some great plays with his legs as a runner and to extend passing plays, making everything more difficult for Minnesota, who only got one sack on the night.
That first half offense. 77 total yards, five first downs, two turnovers, and zero points. The Vikings aren’t going to win any games with statistics like those and were lucky to go into halftime down by only 14. Overcoming this lead was a massive test for Minnesota considering they couldn’t get any momentum going in the first 30 minutes.
Running the football. The Chicago stopped the Vikings dead in their tracks in the run game, allowing Minnesota to only pick up a total of 22 yards on the ground, and that includes 5 yards from Cousins. 17 yards on 13 carries from the running backs isn’t going to get the job done.
