Struggling Vikings have a chance to take the right ship against the first-place Bears

The Chicago Bears (6-3) are atop the NFC North and are one of the biggest surprises of the season. Their ability to finish off opponents in the final moments of wins over the Cincinnati Bengals and New York Giants over the past two weeks is indicative of the growth of quarterback Caleb Williams and the effectiveness of sideline boss Ben Johnson.

The Minnesota Vikings (4-5) are at the bottom of the NFC North standings as they are the only team in the division with a losing record. They’ve dropped three of their four home games this season, and that’s something head coach Kevin O’Connell just can’t accept.

Their 27-19 loss at US Bank Stadium to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 10 included 13 penalties by the Vikings, including eight of the pre-snap variety that put sophomore quarterback JJ McCarthy and the offense behind the chains on a consistent basis.

The Vikings host the Bears Sunday and the two teams have been going in opposite directions since the Vikings opened the season with a 27-24 win at Soldier Field over Chicago. Nevertheless, the Vikings are still three-point favorites over the Bears in Sunday’s meeting at US Bank Stadium.

The bears won six of their last seven gamesbut none of those victories have come over winning teams. They won’t be playing a winning team in Minnesota, but they will face a desperate team hoping to get back into the playoffs. The Vikings were at their best two weeks ago in their victory over the Detroit Lions, the team tied with the Bears for first place.

There is little comparison between the bears and lions. Chicago is an upstart team that finished in last place a year ago, while the Lions have been a dominant NFC team the past two seasons. If the Vikings can beat the Lions on the road, they should dominate at home against the Bears.

Nice O’Connell needs to flex his muscles

O’Connell’s signature is his own non-stop support of his players and the positive atmosphere he has created in the Vikings’ locker room. There’s no doubt that O’Connell is a great guy and the Vikings players are lucky to have him as their boss. But a nice guy attitude only gets a team so far in the NFL. The days of tough coaches like Vince Lombardi, Tom Landry, Bill Parcells, Bud Grant and even Bill Belichick may be over, but it’s time for O’Connell to flex all his muscles.

The undisciplined and flawless play against the Ravens must end. Superstar Justin Jefferson, who was clearly one of the top two receivers in the league at the start of the year – with the Bengals’ Ja’Marr Chase – is barely in the top 10 this season. He needs to step up and that means executing his once impeccable pass routes sharper and faster and putting an end to the near misses on passes thrown by McCarthy.

The running game has shown flashes with Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason, and the Bears (24^e-ranked run defense) are just the team that turns these flashes into consistent success. If that’s going to happen, left tackle Christian Darrisaw and right tackle Brian O’Neill will have to breathe fire and punish the Bears’ defensive front for 60 minutes.

Despite their loss to the Ravens, the Vikings defense played quite well. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores saw his defense stop Baltimore on 9 of 15 third-down plays and limit Lamar Jackson’s offense to 321 yards. However, they couldn’t turn that performance into a win as the Vikings lost the turnover battle 3-0.

That can’t happen against the Bears. Linebackers Andrew Van Ginkel and Blake Cashman must harass Williams and prevent him from taking decisive action with his powerful arm and his legs. Takeaways are key for Minnesota’s defense. The Vikings got five when they knocked off the Bengals 48-10 in Week 3, but they have been scarce since.

The Vikings have to come away with at least two against the Bears and they can’t give the Bears more than one turnover.

There is very little difference between these two teams in terms of talent, but the Bears have benefited from a soft schedule thus far and have capitalized in the final minutes when the game is on the line. The Vikings can’t afford to let that happen here or they’ll be buried in the NFC North.