All Is Not Well for a Vikings Division Rival Heading into Week 3
Josh Frey
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Remember when so many folks believed the Chicago Bears were destined for improvements in year three of the Justin Fields experience?
Well, through two weeks, the Bears sit at 0-2, and Fields is completing 60.6% of his passes for 427 yards and has thrown 2 TDs compared to 3 INTs.
Honestly, this is an improvement from his 2022 season where he threw for just 2247 yards and 17 TDs, but it is far from the Jalen Hurts-esque jump that many people anticipated for the 2021 first-round pick. Following their Week 2 loss to Tampa Bay, things may be at a breaking point for the Vikings division rivals.
A Quick Check on the Vikings Division Rivals in Chicago…
On Tuesday morning, Justin Fields spoke to the media on how things can improve for the Bears this season. A main culprit for Chicago’s lack of offensive success in the QB’s eyes? Coaching. Take a look at what Fields had to say as transcribed by Courtney Cronin of ESPN:
“I don’t think it’s too many coaching voices but I just think when you’re fed a lot of information at a point in time and you’re trying to think about that info when you’re playing, it doesn’t let you play like yourself. You’re trying to process so much information to where it’s like, if I just simplify it in my mind I would have did this.
I saw a few plays on Sunday, if I was playing like my old self, we would have had a positive play. There would have been more third down conversations. I think that’s just the biggest thing for me is playing the game how I know how to play and how I’ve been playing my whole life. That’s what I got to get back to doing.”
Perhaps even in the third-biggest city in the U.S., there is not enough room for both Matt Eberflus and Fields. Eberflus has been the head coach in Chicago since the start of last season, and the Bears are a combined 3-15 during the HC/QB tenure.
However, the problems in Chicago don’t end with the relationship between coaching staff and quarterback. Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune tweeted as Fields’ comments were coming to the surface:
“The Alan Williams situation continues to get more mysterious with Matt Eberflus declining to give an update or clarity on any part of it, including whether Williams is still employed as the DC.”
As Chicago’s offense has struggled over the past couple years, things have not been much better defensively. In 2022, the Bears allowed the most points in the league and gave up the fourth-most yards under Williams.
This season, the Bears are off to a similarly horrendous start with the second-most points allowed and again the fourth-most yards allowed.
Williams spent the 2012 and 2013 seasons as the Vikings defensive coordinator, and things went similarly poorly in that stint. During that 2013 season, the Vikings finished 31st in points allowed and 32nd in yards allowed, finishing with a 5-10-1 record.
Grab the popcorn, Vikings fans. This is shaping up to be a very interesting season down in the Windy City.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.