NFL Analyst Issues Warning about Vikings’ Scary Rival
A man named Kirk — no, not that Kirk — claims the Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, and Minnesota Vikings better be ready for what’s coming.
NFL Analyst Issues Warning about Vikings’ Scary Rival
They’re named the Chicago Bears, and Kirk Herbstreit officially warned the masses this week about their impending arrival.
Chicago owns the first overall pick in April’s draft — obtained basically for free from the Carolina Panthers last year — and is expected to use the selection on USC’s Caleb Williams. The Bears traded former quarterback Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers last month for pocket lint.
Herbstreit joined The Pat McAfee Show on Monday and told the panel about Chicago, “When Chicago made that trade for Montez Sweat, and they got a lot better on the defensive side when Sweat came over, and the secondary got healthy, I’m telling you. Everybody expected Matt Eberflus to get let go during the middle of the year. The guy had an energy about him. His team responds to him.”
Chicago finished the 2023 campaign with a 7-10 record but won four of its last six games, appearing to trend up for 2024. But that was with Fields in the saddle, who has a history of turning on the developmental jets down the stretch of a season.
“You better get on the Bears right now. You better get on the Bears. And I’m not a Bears guy. I don’t care about the Bears. They’re the Detroit Lions from a couple of years ago. They’re coming. The Bears are coming. Get ready,” Herbstreit added.
For now, oddsmakers believe the Bears will finish in third place inside the NFC North next season, with probabilities like this before the 2024 NFL Draft:
- Detroit Lions = +130
- Green Bay Packers = +210
- Chicago Bears = +370
- Minnesota Vikings = +750
Sportsbooks have all but decided that the Vikings won’t be worth a damn in 2024, employing a combination of Sam Darnold and a rookie quarterback to be named in three weeks from the draft. Conversely, the Lions have QB1 figured out with Jared Goff, Jordan Love in Green Bay, and the aforementioned Williams on the way in the Windy City. Even Vikings fans expect a transformational year per wins and losses, with the Vegas win over-under set at 6.5.
For Herbstreit’s prophecy to come true, he just needs one item: a productive Williams during the next few years. If Chicago nails the Williams selection, and he’s as generational as many draft scouts insist, indeed, the Bears will be set for years.
It’s just that generational prospects aren’t always elite, and progress isn’t a foregone conclusion. Trevor Lawrence can tell you all about it.
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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