Minnesota Vikings Week 17 Preview: Now or never vs. the Chicago Bears

4 of 6

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - NOVEMBER 4: Everson Griffen #97 and Danielle Hunter #99 of the Minnesota Vikings celebrate after sacking Matthew Stafford #9 of the Detroit Lions in the fourth quarter of the game at U.S. Bank Stadium on November 4, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images)

(Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images) Everson Griffen and Danielle Hunter /

The Vikings defense thrives at home

For all the things that went wrong in Chicago, the Vikings defense had a solid night. While there were some breakdowns in discipline and keeping Mitchell Trubisky in the pocket, Minnesota was a couple of inches away from having a big night and shutting down the Bears’ offense.

Playing into the Vikings’ favor is that this game will be played in the friendly confines of U.S. Bank Stadium. Minnesota is 5-2 on the season at home and as NFL Network’s Kay Adams pointed out on Thursday, their defense turns it on underneath the ETFE glass.

The Vikings’ defensive line has also seen an uptick at home as they’ve recorded 23 sacks in their last three home games, including a franchise-record 10 sacks against the Detroit Lions in Week 9 and another nine sacks against the Miami Dolphins in Week 15.

If they can keep Trubisky in the pocket and finish plays, this could be a huge afternoon for the Minnesota defense.

Home/Minnesota Vikings News