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MINNESOTA VIKINGS (4-5) | WK 11 | CHICAGO BEARS (3-6) |
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Date: | 16 November 2014 | Location: | Chicago, IL |
Time: | 12:00 PM Central | Stadium: | Soldier Field |
TV: | CBS (not FOX) DirecTV Ch 709 | Radio: | Vikings Radio Network XM Ch 229 (CHI) Sirius Ch 112 |
TV Announcers: | Kevin Harlan Rich Gannon | Know Thy Foe: | Windy City Gridiron |
Weather: | 34 degrees, winds 10 MPH from SW, 20% chance of precipitation | ||
Line: | Bears -2.5, Over/Under 46.5 (Thanks to the SB Nation Odds Page) | ||
Chris' Prediction: | Vikings 27, Bears 24 | ||
Final Score: |
Here are the ground rules for the Game Threads:
-Thou shalt not link illegal feeds of today's game, or I shall kick thy arse to the curb until the game is over. Do not promote then, do not mention them, do not even hint at them. Thou hast been warned.
-Thou shalt keep the GIFs out of the Game Threads. These things tend to bog down enough as it is due to the number of comments. We don't need it to potentially be any worse. If we get a GIF of a big Vikings' play or something, we will drop it in here.
-Thou shalt make an attempt to keep the swearing to a minimum. Understandable that it will slip occasionally, but do try to limit it. If you really feel the need to curse, use the spoiler tags to keep it covered up. We'll get the sentiment.
-Thou shalt not feed the trolls. Rather, thou shall simply point them out, and they shall be banished to the fires of Mordor. Or Wisconsin. Whichever we feel is more harsh at the time.
-Thou shalt not engage in racist, sexist, or other such insulting rhetoric. Somebody disagreeing with you does not make them racist or sexist. It means they disagree with you. Talk it out like adults.
-Thou shalt not bait the fans of other teams into trolling.
-Basically, thou shalt not be a jackwagon in the game thread.
The bye week is officially over, ladies and gentlemen, and not a moment too soon. This afternoon, we get back to some Minnesota Vikings football, as they travel to the Windy City to battle their division rivals, the Chicago Bears. It looks like it's going to be a cold one, but it looks like the possibility of snow is off the table for this one as we head to kickoff.
So, what do the Vikings have to do to leave Chicago with a win for the first time since 2007 and get to .500 for the first time since September?
1) Protect Teddy Bridgewater - Yep, it's still the most important thing on the list. The Bears haven't done a great job of getting after the quarterback this season, and because of it their pass defense has been abysmal. They're currently 28th in the NFL against the pass, and have allowed an opposing passer rating of 107.0 thus far in 2014. You know that Jared Allen is going to be fired up against his former team, but Matt Kalil has gotten a bit better over the past couple of games, and hopefully the bye week allowed the Vikings to straighten things out. If the Vikings can keep Bridgewater upright in this one, there are plays to be had against this Chicago defense.
2) Get off to a fast start - After last week's loss to the Green Bay Packers, many in the Chicago media said that it looked like this Bears' team had quit, with one reporter even saying that the current state of the Bears is "worse than the bad (Dave) Wannstedt years." That's pretty bad. If the Vikings punch the Bears in their collective mouth once or twice early on, it could snowball. A couple of quick scores and a couple of early stops on defense would do nicely.
3) Get after Jay Cutler - The Bears have allowed Cutler to be sacked 24 times this season, and with the Vikings coming off of three straight games where they've collected at least five sacks, they're going to have the opportunity to get after Cutler. Despite their recent troubles, the Bears still have a lot of weapons on offense in Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery, Matt Forte, and Martellus Bennett. It's imperative that Everson Griffen, Sharrif Floyd, Anthony Barr, and the rest of the Vikings' defensive front make it harder for Cutler to find those weapons and bring him down a few times.
We're less than an hour from kickoff at Soldier Field, folks. . .here's hoping that the Minnesota Vikings can put everything together to get themselves a third consecutive victory and get the home stretch of their season off to a good start.
SKOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL VIKINGS!!!!