Vikings Ups and Downs: Week 17 vs. the Chicago Bears
By Chris Schad
Interesting Stuff From Week 17
1. Adam Thielen and Kirk Cousins have a sideline confrontation
Some people in the past have questioned why Adam Thielen’s sideline outbursts haven’t received the same attention as Odell Beckham Jr’s.
On Sunday, that spectrum evened out as Thielen could be seen screaming at Kirk Cousins late in the first half. The Vikings receiver has a right to be frustrated after cooling off in the second half and being limited to just three catches for 38 yards against the Bears.
Odds are, this lack of production from Thielen won’t linger into 2019. But it has to be a big concern for Kevin Stefanski if he remains with Minnesota next season.
2. The season that was
This was not what fans and players had hoped for when the Vikings gathered for training camp back in August.
While several games could have gone their way, Minnesota fell way short of the expectations that were set for this team and as a result, they’ll miss the playoffs for the third time since Mike Zimmer’s was hired as the team’s head coach in 2014.
3. The Vikings can’t get up for a big game
A week ago, red flags were raised when the Vikings couldn’t get their fire going until Kyle Rudolph hauled in a Hail Mary pass. While Minnesota eventually hung 27 points on the Lions, they proved only to be a slightly better team the following week against the Bears.
Chicago toyed with the Vikings all day long and even in a game where the Bears didn’t have multiple starters, they were able to control the matchup from the opening kickoff and end Minnesota’s season.