NFL Week 1 Monday
- Kyle Kirms
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
VIKINGS @ BEARS
Minnesota controlled the series last year. I know that Week 12 game looks close but that game had a weird ending. Vikings were up 14 late and the Bears kinda pulled off a miracle comeback to force OT. Minnesota was up 11 with 22 seconds left. I remember specifically... because I had Vikings -3 as my top bet that week and I was livid that it pushed.
Now obviously, we're looking at a different Vikings offense this year. They upgraded the offensive line in a major way. First of all... looks like Christian Darrisaw is going to be back at LT for the Vikings. He missed 10 games last year. They made significant upgrades at C and RG... and they spent their 1st round pick on Donovan Jackson at LG. So this Vikings offensive line should take a big step forward... which is huge for JJ McCarthy.
You know they're gonna want to run the football on the Bears with McCarthy making his 1st career start on the road in a harsh environment. Having that upgraded offensive line is gonna come in handy... especially against a Bears defense that really struggled to stop the run last year.
So did the Bears make any changes to improve in this department? Well obviously, we've got a new coaching staff here. Dennis Allen will be in charge of the defense. This is a tough one... cuz rewind back to when Dennis Allen was the DC for the Saints... they had an elite run defense every single year for like 5 or 6 straight years.... but once he took the head coaching job, the Saints run defense fell off a cliff. New Orleans actually had one of the worst run defenses in the NFL the last 2 years.
So did the head coaching job affect Dennis Allen's ability to coach a defense? Or did the league surpass his schemes? It's a good question... I suppose we'll find out.
As far as the roster, they did address by bringing in Grady Jarrett... he was the anchor of a pretty damn good Falcons run defense for several years. Unfortunately, they're gonna be without TJ Edwards which hurts. So we won't get a look at this Bears defense fully healthy just yet. I do think that on paper, Minnesota should be able to run the ball in this game... but you add in the fact that JJ McCarthy is making his first career NFL start... in a very hostile environment. Soldier Field is gonna be going crazy for this one. This will give Dennis Allen some flexibility in terms of defensive play-calling. I think he can afford to be aggressive taking away the run.
On the other side of the ball, how long is gonna take Ben Johnson to get things rolling with this offense? I went and looked... the Lions did score 35 points in Ben Johnson's first game calling the plays. They lost the game 38-35... but they did put up 35. D'Andre Swift actually had a big game running the ball. What's the difference though? The Lions had an elite offensive line... the Bears had a terrible offensive line last year.
But good news... they addressed it. They bolstered up the offensive line in a major way. It seems like the Bears are trying to replicate exactly what the Lions did. Ben Johnson calling the shots... prioritizes the offensive line. (They even went and got Jonah Jackson who played G on those Lions teams).
So just like Ben Johnson did a ton of in Detroit... I think we can expect to see Chicago run the ball. This will be different than the Bears offense we saw last year who was 8th in passing frequency.
So we have a good idea of what we think Ben Johnson wants to do... can Minnesota stop it? And the answer, based on last year... is a definite yes. Vikings had one of the best run defenses in the NFL last season.
And Ivan Pace Jr. is back and fully healthy. That's huge for the Vikings run defense.
The defensive front is gonna be elite again... they lose the front 3 on the defensive line but honestly, I think the new line is better. All 4 LBs are exactly the same. This is going to be a savage run defense again. The secondary though... this is kind of concerning. Byron Murphy and Metellus are solid... but there's alotta inexperience starting in this secondary. Tavierre Thomas and Isaiah Rodgers were not starters last year. Both of them have bounced around (3 teams in 4 years). And with Harrison Smith injured, you're gonna have another inexperienced starter in this secondary.
Weird situation... on one hand, I think Ben Johnson wants to run the ball... you would think it's easier to implement a rushing attack to a new roster plus it's what he did at Detroit. But on the other hand, the Vikings run defense is elite... their secondary is very vulnerable... and the Bears have 3 or 4 dangerous receiving weapons that can exploit it.