12 Snap Reactions after Vikings at Bears
From a suggestion by a reader, we continue our “snap reactions” weekly piece this season detailing thoughts and analysis after a Minnesota Vikings game.
12 Snap Reactions after Vikings at Bears
This will be off-the-cuff, a wee bit “random,” and hopefully insightful.
The Vikings won 19-13 in Week 6 at the Chicago Bears, the purple team’s fourth straight win at Soldier Field. Minnesota maintains a puncher’s chance to get hot and become relevant this season, and a loss at Chicago would’ve effectively ended that scenario.
1 – K.J. Osborn was the straw that stirred the drink the 1st Half before the Vikings offense totally took a nap in Quarters 3 and 4. The veteran wideout has taken a lot of heat from Vikings fans so far this year, mainly due to drops, but he helped Minnesota get off to a somewhat competent offensive start at Soldier Field.
2 – Kirk Cousins’ weapon stable, at the moment, is wickedly similar to his Washington days, and the 1st Half was a good example of how he did business there for three seasons as a starter.
3 – The Vikings won the football game at Chicago for one reason: they won the turnover battle by a 3-1 tally. In games so far this season, Minnesota tends to lose that aspect and had a gross record accordingly. On Sunday, they did not — and they won. Funny how that works.
4 – Greg Joseph drilled two 50+ yard field goals at Soldier Field, an impressive feat. He missed one, but that’s typically what happens for normal kickers on days with multiple attempts from that far away. Per the scoreboard, Joseph’s long field goals were the difference-maker.
5 – Minnesota really dodged the bullet with the backward pass fumble by Kirk Cousins. It was a dumb decision by the QB1, and Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards appeared to recover it. Thankfully the Vikings sake, the referees disagreed.
6 – Jordan Addison didn’t fire up a monster game, Jefferson’s first of at least four on the shelf, but he did just enough to put a thumbprint on the afternoon. He’ll need an even bigger game next Monday night versus the San Francisco 49ers, but then again, that mindset goes for the whole team.
7 – The Vikings offense was completely ineffective in the 2nd Half, and they’re lucky they held on for their second victory of 2023. Against a non-Bears team — so, a mediocre or good team — Minnesota probably would’ve lost.
8 – Kevin O’Connell’s offense was 2 for 13 on third downs. In that vein, it’s a miracle they won. That’s usually the blueprint for a loss.
9 – There’s something about last year’s Vikings and this year’s edition — probably that they haven’t run the ball effectively — that always dooms the time of possession battle. The lowly Bears won the ToP battle 35 minutes to 25, and Minnesota must eventually figure out how to keep that statistic closer. Teams on the short end of the stick via time of possession rarely turn out to be any good.
10 – Every Vikings game at Soldier Field is the same. It’s ugly, gritty, buffoonish from both teams, and fluky stuff decides the outcome. This version was no different. For example, Kirk Cousins and Justin Fields threw wounded-duck interceptions, plus a blocked extra point, all in about eight minutes of real-life time.
11 – This Vikings victory felt remarkably similar to their Week 4 win at the Carolina Panthers. They did just enough to win while defeating a poor football team. All wins count the same, though, and Minnesota is weirdly just one game out of the wildcard portion of the NFC’s playoff standings.
12 – Lewis Cine was a healthy scratch, a strange ordeal for a 1st-Round draft pick from a year and a half ago. Andrew Booth, however, is beginning to receive some playing time, so we shall see what comes of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s first draft class.
One Viking Remains in Trade Rumor Mill
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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