Nov 20, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jonathan Bullard (93) celebrates during the second quarter against the Dallas Cowboys at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports.
When the Minnesota Vikings host the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football, the defense will need to lock back in. They once held the league lead in stopping opposing running games, but then a pair of birds came to town.
After allowing back-to-back 100-plus yard games to the Arizona Cardinals and Atlanta Falcons, the Vikings no longer have the best rush defense in the NFL. Their 87.2 yards allowed per game trail the Baltimore Ravens’ 82.7 yards per game allowed. They haven’t fallen off entirely, but prior to the Cardinals contest, their average fell below 80 yards per game.
It was somewhat dismissable to discount the Cardinals’ outcome. Like Caleb Williams of the Bears the week before, the quarterback scrambled plenty. Kyler Murray put up 48 yards to help put his team over the top. That was not the case on Sunday, and Kirk Cousins has never been a threat to go anywhere.
Former first-round pick Bijan Robinson piled up 92 yards on 22 carries. Given the workload, that’s a relatively respectable mark. Tyler Allgeier is where things got sticky. The Falcons’ change of pace back put up 63 yards on just nine carries. He ripped off a 25-yard run and averaged seven yards per touch.
If the Vikings are going to right the ship, then facing Chicago isn’t a bad place to be. When the two teams met at Soldier Field, the Bears managed just 78 yards on the ground. Thirty-three of those, and a team-lead, came from Williams. D’Andre Swift managed just 30 yards on 13 carries.
Of course, it hasn’t helped that Ivan Pace Jr. is inactive. He won’t be back on Monday, either. Brian Flores must have Blake Cashman and his linebackers locked in for the running game. It’s one thing to put pressure on the quarterback, but the defense can’t afford to get beat when breaking contain.
The defense has continued to be a beacon of light for Minnesota. Part of that has been because they have forced opposing offenses to be one-dimensional. Williams will again look to air it out as Cousins did. It’s much easier to jump routes and pick off passes if there’s a level of trust to stop the run.
Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes daily for Minnesota Sports Fan. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.