Last week, the Minnesota Vikings had to take the field for the first time this season without cornerback Stephon Gilmore. A hamstring injury kept Gilmore on the sideline for Minnesota's win over the Atlanta Falcons, and according to a report, the Vikings are likely going to be without the veteran cornerback again when they face the Chicago Bears on Monday.
According to former ESPN and CBS NFL insider Josina Anderson on Monday, Gilmore is not expected to be active for Minnesota's primetime showdown against the Bears.
Some were feeling optimistic about his chance of playing this week after he was able to practice this past Saturday for the first time since initially injuring his hamstring in Week 13. But with a spot in this season's playoffs already clinched, the Vikings are going to let Gilmore get some additional recovery time to make sure he's available when they need him the most later this season.
Minnesota Vikings should be fine without Stephon Gilmore in Week 15 vs. the Chicago Bears
If there was ever an ideal game for Gilmore to miss, Monday against Chicago would probably be it. Yes, the Bears were able to throw for 320 yards against the Vikings back in Week 12 with Gilmore on the field. But Chicago rookie quarterback Caleb Williams has averaged 195 passing yards in his last two games, and he's finished a matchup with less than 200 passing yards six times this season.
Williams will also have to deal with playing inside a very loud U.S. Bank Stadium for the first time in his NFL career on Monday. Minnesota was able to sack him three times in Week 12, and there's a good chance that they will be able to accumulate even more sacks on Monday.
So, it seems safe to believe that the Vikings defense should be able to shut down a Chicago passing offense that currently ranks 31st in the NFL without Gilmore. If not, then Minnesota will have a lot more questions to answer than they did heading into Monday's matchup.