3 Vikings Need to Make an Impact vs. the Bears
The Minnesota Vikings are just hours away from their kickoff against the Chicago Bears to wrap up Week 12.
The Vikings saw their five-game winning streak come to an end last weekend against the Denver Broncos, and now, they are hoping to get back into the win column against their division rivals. With the game approaching, here is a look at 3 Vikings who need to make a positive impact tonight for Minnesota to get their seventh victory of the season.
RB Alexander Mattison
It’s been a bit of a tumultuous season for the Vikings new starting running back. Alexander Mattison took over the role from Dalvin Cook this year, but it has come with a fair share of struggles.
These struggles included the Vikings’ first game against the Bears this season. During that road matchup, Mattison totaled 18 carries that resulted in just 44 yards. As a result of Minnesota’s inability to run the ball, the Bears actually dominated the time of possession battle by nearly 11 minutes during the game.
Luckily, Minnesota’s defense was able to come away with a second half TD that helped ice the game, but for the Vikings to sweep this season series, they will need more production from Mattison tonight. Luckily, things have been trending upwards for the Vikings rushing offense recently. Last weekend against the Broncos, Minnesota had a season-high 175 rushing yards, and it was their third consecutive game at 125+ rushing yards.
WR Jordan Addison
In the absence of Justin Jefferson, rookie wide receiver Jordan Addison has taken over the WR1 role for the Vikings over the past six weeks. He got off to a blazing start by recording 4 TDs in the first three games without Jefferson.
This included a TD against the Bears back in Week 6, but the rookie has not scored since Minnesota’s Week 8 game against the Packers. Over the past three games with Josh Dobbs at QB, Addison has 12 receptions for 165 yards. It’s been a bit of a quiet stretch for the rookie WR, but at home in primetime, the Vikings could use another breakout game from Addison as they head into their bye.
DL Harrison Phillips
The Vikings run defense has been one of the best in the league this season. They are allowing the seventh-fewest rushing yards per game in the league right now, and their 3.7 yards per carry allowed is the fourth-fewest in the league.
However, the one thing that really kept Chicago in the game last time the Bears and Vikings met was their ability to run the ball. They totaled 36 carries for 162 yards and a touchdown while having three separate players with at least 30 rushing yards on the day.
Harrison Phillips has been a huge part of the Vikings success against the run this season, but during that first game, he had just four tackles. He recorded a sack, but it was a tough day for the veteran against Chicago’s rushing attack. He finished the day with a PFF grade of 59.7 against the run.
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.