Prediction for Vikings at Bears + 2021 Flashback
The 12-4 Minnesota Vikings and the 3-13 divisional rival Chicago Bears are set to face off Sunday at Soldier Field. Minnesota is coming off a rough 41-17 loss on the road to the Green Bay Packers. Chicago, meanwhile, has lost nine consecutive games and fell 41-10 to the Detroit Lions last week on the road.
Minnesota leads the all-time series 64-57-2 and has won the past three matchups. Can they sweep Chicago for the second consecutive year? They should, but winning at Soldier Field has never been easy for them. They have won their past two trips there, but before that, their last five wins in the Windy City came in 2017, 2015, 2007, 2000, and 1999.
Prediction for Vikings at Bears + 2021 Flashback
Last season, Minnesota won 17-9 on a Monday night in Chicago. Kirk Cousins went 12/24 for 87 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. Dalvin Cook rushed for 89 yards on 28 carries. Justin Jefferson caught four passes for 47 yards and a touchdown.
“I think we have work,” Cousins said. “I think there is a lot to improve upon. We’re playing three really good opponents up ahead. We’re probably going to need everyone, so there is not a lot of room for error, and we have to tighten the screws here and play our best football down the stretch.”
On defense, D.J. Wonnum recorded three sacks, and his eight tackles tied for a team-high with Harrison Smith.
For Chicago, Justin Fields went 26/39 for 285 yards and a touchdown. David Montgomery rushed for 60 yards. Cole Kmet caught six passes for 71 yards. Darnell Mooney caught five passes for 63 yards.
On defense, Roquan Smith recorded a game-high 10 tackles. Akiem Hicks and Robert Quinn each recorded two sacks.
Vikings vs. Bears Week 15 Highlights | NFL 2021 – YouTube
With the win, Minnesota improved to 7-7 on the season and finished at 8-9 — missing the playoffs for the second consecutive season. Chicago fell to 4-10 with the loss and finished at 6-11 — missing the playoffs for the third straight season.
If Minnesota wins, they will finish the regular season at 13-4. They finished 13-3 in 2017. Before that, they last won 13 games or more in 1998 when they went 15-1.
The San Francisco 49ers are also 12-4, but have the tiebreaker over Minnesota. San Francisco hosts the 4-12 Arizona Cardinals, so there is a very high chance they will hold onto the second seed even if Minnesota wins.
This will likely be a meaningless game for Minnesota, so it will be a surprise if Kevin O’Connell plays his starters for very long. Sure, 13-4 sounds better than 12-5, but you also do not want to risk your starters getting injured in a game with very little meaning. They will already be without Brian O’Neill for the rest of the season. They cannot afford to lose another starter.
We are already in the final week of the regular season. It has been a very crazy season, to say the least. Vikings fans have been on the edge of their seats frequently this season, but the wins have been very nice. How far will this team go in the playoffs? Maybe not too far. We will find out, but this team has won more games than most people imagined and came under a first-year head coach. This team could have a very bright future.
It is almost playoff time. Fans are excited to see them back there since 2019.
Prediction: Vikings Win 23-17
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