Bears Provide Vikings Respite Once Again
The Minnesota Vikings currently own a 4-5 record, with young quarterback J.J. McCarthy looking to instill greater confidence each week. It has been a roller coaster ride thus far. That shouldn’t exactly be shocking considering just how green he is. However, McCarthy went 1-0 to start his career and got the job done at Soldier Field.
The Minnesota Vikings have another opportunity to save their season against the Chicago Bears, and a win would completely turn the tide.
A Chicago Bears fan growing up, McCarthy beat his childhood team thanks to a thrilling fourth quarter comeback. Now he’ll need to replicate the performance at home in order to get his team back to .500. The Vikings are slight favorites at U.S. Bank Stadium, and McCarthy besting the Bears would put Minnesota back in contention.
The Vikings Can Get Right against the Bears
Expectations coming into the season were that the NFC North would run through the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers. The former has been true, but the latter has not. Matt LaFleur looks like a rudderless leader, and Jordan Love still looks like a glorified Kirk Cousins.
The only undefeated team (2-0) within the division is the Minnesota Vikings. Both of those wins have also come on the road. Beating both the Bears and Lions at their respective home fields, Kevin O’Connell’s team now will get a second crack at a season sweep with the advantage pushed to their side.
Minnesota won’t simply vault back up the playoff ladder just by beating Chicago. They would still be just a .500 team with five wins. That said, the ability to position themselves with a 3-0 divisional record and own the tiebreaker over Chicago is hardly a bad thing.
The schedule has not been kind to the Vikings thus far this season. They have stolen a couple of unexpected outcomes to make up for their missteps. This contest on Sunday is one that they are both expected to, and need to win. The offseason was spent building a team that could immediately contend. Through the first nine games, that pursuit has been questionable at best.
Should the Vikings fall short against the Bears, it may be time to start looking at 2026. If they can get the job done and McCarthy takes another step forward, then everything changes as the tide turns once again.
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