A Movable Object Meets a Stoppable Force in The Vikings/Bears Game in Week 18
K. Joudry
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The Vikings/Bears game presents us with a bit of an odd matchup.
Some of you have probably heard about the conundrum of when an immovable object meets an unstoppable force. It’s a scenario that presents some challenges: which side wins? Well, I’ve got a buddy who slightly alters the saying when the situation calls for it, wondering about when a movable object meets a stoppable force. The pithy rephrasing might apply to what we’ll see in tomorrow’s game.
The Vikings/Bears Game
Neither the Vikings defense nor the Bears offense have much to brag about. The Vikings defense is an object that can be moved; the Bears offense is a force that can be stopped. Which side will prevail in tomorrow’s match?
Going into Week 18, Minnesota finds its defense at 31st in points and yards allowed. The football term for those results is yikes.
Meanwhile, Chicago’s offense is 23rd in points scored and 28th in yards gained. Upon first glance, the advantage appears to lean toward the Bears, but we mustn’t forget that Nathan Peterman is getting the start.
PurplePTSD‘s Josh Frey offers a very quick statistical recap of Peterman’s NFL playing career:
As for Fields’ replacement, Nathan Peterman, he has appeared in two games this season. He’s completed 3-of-6 passes for 25 yards and an interception. Peterman joined the Bears this year after spending 2020 and 2021 with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Prior to that, Peterman spent 2018 and 2019 with the Buffalo Bills where he made all four of his starts. During those seasons with the Bills, he completed 52.3% of his passes for 548 yards, 3 TDs, and a whopping 12 INTs. Overall, the Bills went 1-3 in those starts. In all, Peterman has a career completion percentage of 52.5% with 598 yards, 3 TDs, and 13 INTs.
Justin Fields is a talented quarterback who has shown some really good things in 2022. Let’s not forget that he has piled up a truly sensational 1143 rushing yards behind his elite 7.1 yards-per-attempt average. Does he have room to improve? Of course, and yet he’s a legitimate threat out there who may end up being Chicago’s solution at QB for the next decade.
Peterson, in short, will have a tough time matching what Fields can do on the field.
As a result, we come back to the central idea of the piece: what are we going to see in the Vikings/Bears game? The contest is going to feature one of the league’s worst defenses going against one of its worst offenses (without its starting QB).
Truthfully, I can’t speak with much authority about the team in Illinois. I take a peak at the scores and see what’s going on with their QB1, but I’d be hard-pressed to offer up an ironclad analysis of what we’ll see from them tomorrow, especially since their backup QB will get the start.
On Minnesota’s end of things, I’ve been guilty of droning on about the merits of improving the pass rush and how Ed Donatell could return in 2023. There has even been some chatter about Duke Shelley’s strong play, how Eric Kendricks needs to elevate, and Za’Darius Smith’s pursuit of a bonus. The point, folks, is that there has been no shortage of digital ink spilled trying to search for a cure for what ails Minnesota’s ailing defense.
Looking ahead, we should expect a reasonably dominant day for Donatell’s squad. The battle between two uninspiring sides must lean toward Minnesota simply because Peterman doesn’t have the same abilities as Fields. Anything less a very strong day would qualify as a disappointment.
During the postseason, Minnesota will need to slay dragons that are far larger than the one coming out of Chicago. Daniel Jones and the Giants are the likeliest opponent; it’s a far cry from Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, but it’s a challenge nonetheless. Building some positive momentum by completely nullifying the Bears offense would possibly provide a touch more confidence for the playoffs.
The game is scheduled to begin at 12 CST.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this piece.
