3 teams Vikings should be worried about in 2023
- A rising divisional foe
- An obvious choice
- A sneaky team with not much else to lose
By Ryan Heckman
3. Chicago Bears
Go ahead and laugh, but the Chicago Bears are a team that has absolutely nothing to lose. They know they probably won't compete for much in 2023, but at the same time, they could surprise a lot of people and make a push for a Wild Card spot.
The Bears have seen a lot of buzz around Justin Fields coming out of training camp, with his throws looking like darts, on point and sailing into the hands of one D.J. Moore. The Fields-to-Moore connection is real, and looks to be just what Fields needed to break out in Year 3.
Offensively, Fields has more weapons and better protection. That worked out well for other young quarterbacks in recent years, and the Bears are high on the Ohio State product, believing in a legitimate breakout this season.
Defensively, the Bears added a lot of talent to fill some big holes. The unit should be much better this year, although not a top-10 defense. Still, the Bears were porous, defensively, in 2022. This season, even a slight improvement is going to make a difference.
The Bears' most realistic goal, for right now, could be to compete for the division. And, if the Vikings aren't careful, Chicago could steal one, if not both, of these divisional matchups -- and that might just prove to be a deciding factor come playoff positioning time.
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