The Minnesota Vikings entered their Week 15 game on Monday Night Football against the Chicago Bears having secured a spot in the playoffs but the purple and gold still have a lot of work to do in order to continue their push toward winning the NFC North.
Detroit's loss to the Bills on Sunday has opened the door for the Vikings to continue their push for the division title thanks to their 12-2 record. However, the Lions have the same record and won against Minnesota earlier this season, meaning they still sit on top of the standings.
Minnesota got their work done at home against the Bears on Monday night. They defeated Chicago in convincing fashion in prime time 30-12 and looked to be ready for their upcoming Week 16 contest against the Seattle Seahawks.
Minnesota Vikings winners and losers in Week 15
Before looking too far ahead at next week's game against the Seahawks, let's take a look at five players who made a huge impact in Minnesota's victory over Chicago on Monday Night Football.
Vikings winner No. 1: Aaron Jones, running back
The Bears made it obvious from the opening snap that their primary defensive focus would be getting after Sam Darnold and limiting the Vikings receivers to as few yards as possible. That opened the door for Aaron Jones to earn nice chunks of yardage early.
Jones carried the ball 18 times for 86 yards and a touchdown in the game, adding two catches for 20 yards on three targets. Minnesota had 329 total yards of offense on the night and Minnesota's running back accounted for nearly a third of that production.
Vikings loser No. 1: Cam Robinson, offensive tackle
The pass protection for the Vikings in general was disappointing. Sam Darnold was hit eight times and sacked twice against the Bears, but those numbers don't tell the whole story of what was happening on the offensive line.
Starting left tackle Cam Robinson was guilty of penalties on a couple of occasions and didn't seem like his usual self as a blocker against a Chicago pass rush that ranks in the league's bottom half. The protection will need to get significantly better in the coming weeks against the Seahawks, Packers, and Lions.
Vikings winner No. 2: Blake Cashman, linebacker
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams was a slippery subject on Monday night, but that doesn't mean that every Minnesota defender was struggling to take down ball carriers and make plays against Chicago in Week 15.
Linebacker Blake Cashman not only recovered a Caleb Williams fumble but he also had eight tackles (seven solo) on the night, good for second-most on the team. Minnesota's defense is just better when he is in the lineup.
Vikings loser No. 2: Andrew Van Ginkel, linebacker
As previously stated, the Vikings really struggled to get past a beat-up Chicago offensive line to get to rookie quarterback Caleb Williams. Williams is the most sacked quarterback in the league, but fans wouldn't know that by watching this game.
Minnesota had two sacks in this game. One sack came from rookie Dallas Turner and the other by Jonathan Greenard. Meanwhile, Andrew Van Ginkel had a quiet day by only registering two tackles on the night with one being assisted. He typically makes a bigger impact than this.
Vikings winner No. 3: Josh Metellus, safety
There isn't much that Josh Metellus can't do for the Minnesota Vikings. The team feels comfortable asking him to do so many things that it's not surprising when he shows up in the stat book with numbers all over the place.
Metellus led the team with ten tackles (eight solo) but was consistently making Bears quarterback Caleb Williams guess where he would be. Whether he was blitzing, dropping back, or playing run support, Minnesota's Swiss Army Knife is an underappreciated part of Brian Flores' defensive unit.