Chicago (4-9) at Minnesota (11-2)
Monday, 8 p.m. EST, ABC
BetMGM NFL odds: Vikings by 7.
Against the spread: Bears 5-7; Vikings 8-5.
Series record: Vikings lead 67-58-2.
Last meeting: Vikings beat Bears 30-27 in Chicago in OT on Nov. 24.
Last week: Bears lost to 49ers 38-13; Vikings beat Falcons 42-21.
Bears offense: overall (32), rush (23), pass (30), scoring (24).
Bears defense: overall (24), rush (26), pass (16), scoring (10).
Vikings offense: overall (11), rush (17), pass (8), scoring (9).
Vikings defense: overall (17), rush (2), pass (29), scoring (6).
Turnover differential: Bears plus-10; Vikings plus-8.
Bears player to watch
QB Caleb Williams. The first overall draft pick had one of his best performances to date against Minnesota, passing for 340 yards and two touchdowns to help the Bears erase an 11-point deficit in the final 22 seconds of regulation. Now he’s seeking a rebound. Last week, Williams threw for just 134 yards with two late TDs to rookie Rome Odunze and was sacked seven times with one lost fumble. He stretched his NFL rookie record of passes not picked off to 255 in a row in his seventh straight interception-free game, but the production was a sharp drop-off from the previous three games with now-interim coach Thomas Brown calling plays after the firing of offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. Williams was 75 of 117 for 827 yards with five TDs, no interceptions and a passer rating of 99.2 in that stretch.
Vikings player to watch
QB Sam Darnold. The third overall pick in the 2018 draft continued his career-altering season last week against Atlanta by becoming the ninth quarterback in NFL history and first since Aaron Rodgers in 2019 with at least 325 passing yards, five TD passes, a completion rate of 75-plus percent and a passer rating of 155-plus with no interceptions. He became the first Vikings player with five passing TDs in a game since Daunte Culpepper in 2004 and had his 11th game this season with a 100-plus passer rating to set the franchise record and was later selected as NFC Offensive Player of the Week.
Key matchup
Bears CB Jaylon Johnson vs. Vikings WR Justin Jefferson. Johnson, a Pro Bowl pick last season, had a big hand in holding Jefferson to a season-low two catches for 27 yards in the previous meeting in Chicago, though he was called twice for pass interference penalties. The Bears went all out with heavy safety help to limit Jefferson in that game, which opened up the field for major gains by WR Jordan Addison, TE T.J. Hockenson and RB Aaron Jones.
Key injuries
Bears backup RB Roschon Johnson (concussion) missed the previous game, and G Ryan Bates (concussion) and S Elijah Hicks (ankle) have each missed the past three games. … Vikings CB Stephon Gilmore (hamstring) and backup OLB Patrick Jones (knee) were sidelined last week and were not present on Wednesday when the team’s padded practice was open to reporters.
Series notes
The Vikings have won six of the past seven matchups. Their lone loss in that span was last season at home on a Monday night, a 12-10 decision in Week 12. … This is the sixth time in nine years that a Bears-Vikings game will be played on a Monday night. The first four were in Chicago in 2016, 2017, 2020 and 2021. This is two in a row in Minnesota.
Stats and stuff
The Bears have lost seven straight games, coming off their most lopsided loss since a 41-10 defeat at Kansas City in Week 3 last season. They are 2-6 in one-possession games, with four of those losses during this skid. … The Bears play their second game under Brown, who started the season as offensive passing game coordinator and has been promoted twice following the dismissal of Waldron on Nov. 12 and head coach Matt Eberflus on Nov. 29. … Last week, the Bears allowed a season high in points and the second-most yards (452) of the season. … Rookie Tory Taylor’s 48.7-yard gross punting average is the highest single-season average in franchise history. … Cairo Santos has seven field goals of 50-plus yards this season, tying his franchise record. … Bears WR Keenan Allen needs three receptions and 29 yards for his 11th straight season with at least 50 catches and 500 yards receiving. … Odunze, the ninth overall draft pick, had his first multi-TD game last week. … The Vikings put themselves in position to clinch a spot in the playoffs with a win, or a loss or tie by either the Rams on Thursday against the 49ers or the Cardinals against the Patriots on Sunday. … The Vikings last week had their highest point total since a 42-30 win at Detroit in Week 7 in 2019. … The Vikings have at least one takeaway in each of their first 13 games for the first time since 2001. … Jefferson has 7,069 receiving yards in 73 games. His 33 career 100-yard games are the most in NFL history by a player in his first five seasons. … Addison has five TDs of at least 40-plus yards in two seasons. He tied a career high with eight receptions last week against the Falcons, matching his total against the Bears in Week 12. … The Vikings have seven players with multiple interceptions, their most since 1988 when they had nine. Byron Murphy has six, third most in the league. … The Vikings have trailed for a total of 2:39:48 in 13 games, the least amount of total game time in the league. The Commanders (2:48:26) and Lions (2:50:52) are next.
Fantasy tip
Bears WR D.J. Moore has four straight games of six-plus receptions, including a seven-catch, 106-yard, one-TD game against Minnesota last month. The Vikings have allowed an average of 293 passing yards over their past four games.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Copyright © 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
