It wasn't our cleanest performance of the season, but the Minnesota Vikings still comfortably blew out the pathetic Chicago Bears, 30-12. I'll continue to assert that the Vikings exemplify a championship-level team. They can have an off day in one aspect of the game and still secure a win. Sam Darnold and the offense were not perfect on Monday. The next sentence is not funny. Darnold missed several passes he typically completes and Justin Jefferson dropped a touchdown pass that shocked everyone, including the aliens watching from Planet 8712-X. Even with the "off day," the Vikings trio of pass catchers (Jefferson, Addison, & Hockenson) combined for 19 receptions, 188 yards, and one touchdown by Jefferson. Running backs Aaron Jones and Cam Akers played well, combining for 130 total yards and 2 touchdowns. Not the worst day when you break it all down, but we will need to be better against playoff teams.
On the bright side, the Chicago Bears are one of the worst coached teams in the NFL and are led by a rookie quarterback that wears makeup, dresses, and paints his fingernails pretty colors. Caleb Williams has a chance to end up as the 5th best quarterback from this draft class, and I don't think that's a stretch. Everyone always talks about his interception-less streak...but all he does is get sacked or misses his receivers but 50 yards. He didn't impress me in college and hasn't impressed me in the NFL yet. His body language also sucks. He has gotten no favors from his coaching staff, but he was also given a fairly solid supporting cast that most 1st overall picks don't receive. I don't know how Bears fans feel about him, but I would imagine they are being critical. Maybe better coaching and investment in the offensive line will eventually help him.
The Vikings defense was unrelenting on Monday. They forced the Bears into a number of punts including one strip sack by Greenard. They also only gave up 6 points to the Bears. Once the lead grew to 27-6, the Vikings put in their 2nd and 3rd string defense, which led to the Bears only touchdown on a 4th down attempt. This was an absolute dominant performance by the Vikings top 5 defense, led by Brian Flores.
The Bills were able to defeat the Lions, bringing their record even with the Vikings at 12-2. Now the Vikings control their own destiny. If the Vikings can win out, they will win the NFC North and likely be the number 1 seed in the playoffs. The Lions currently have 20+ players on the IR, which is also in the Vikings favor for winning the division. I had mentioned this a few weeks ago that we shouldn't be surprised if the Vikings pull out the division and get the number 1 seed... I wasn't kidding. I also think a Super Bowl run is in the cards. I called this in my preseason post. Go Vikings!
Next up, the 12-2 Vikings will travel to Seattle to face the playoff hopeful, 8-6 Seahawks. Minnesota comes in as 3-point favorites and both teams are almost fully healthy. Games in Seattle are always difficult, but the Vikings coaching staff will have a good gameplan. I expect the Vikings defense to get a couple sacks on QB Geno Smith and force him into a couple turnovers. The Vikings offense should lean on the run and utilize play-action out of that. Minnesota is the top ranked play-action offense in the NFL, while Seattle has the worst ranked play-action defense in the NFL. The weather is going to be cold and rainy, more reason to expect this game to see a lot of running plays. I predict a 26-19 victory for the Vikings, improving to 13-2 on the season. Let's keep the good times rolling!
Gonna be a tough, rainy game. Go Vikings!
Skol