Get to Know the Vikings Opponent: Week 18 at Chicago Bears
Josh Frey
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The Minnesota Vikings head to Chicago for their regular season finale to take on the division rival Bears in Week 18. Chicago and Minnesota have already met once this season when the Vikings defeated them 29-22 in Week 5, but it has been nearly three months since we’ve seen the Bears take on the Vikings. Before the two teams kick off, let’s take a deep dive into this Bears team.
Recent Schedule
- Week 13 vs. Green Bay Packers: Loss, 19-28
- Week 14 Bye
- Week 15 vs. Philadelphia Eagles: Loss, 20-25
- Week 16 vs. Buffalo Bills: Loss, 13-35
- Week 17 vs. Detroit Lions: Loss, 10-41
Stat Leaders
Passing
- Completions: Justin Fields (192)
- Pass Attempts: Justin Fields (318)
- Passing Yards: Justin Fields (2242)
- Passing Touchdowns: Justin Fields (17)
- Interceptions: Justin Fields (11)
Rushing
- Rush Attempts: David Montgomery (194)
- Rushing Yards: Justin Fields (1143)
- Rushing Touchdowns: Justin Fields (8)
Receiving
- Targets: Cole Kmet (64)
- Receptions: Cole Kmet (46)
- Receiving Yards: Darnell Mooney (493)
- Receiving Touchdowns: Cole Kmet (6)
Defense
- Tackles: Nicholas Morrow (109)
- Solo Tackles: Nicholas Morrow (76)
- Tackles for Loss: Nicholas Morrow (11)
- Sacks: Jaquan Brisker (4.0)
- Interceptions: Eddie Jackson (4)
- Pass Defenses: Jaylon Johnson (7)
Kicking
- Field Goals Made: Cairo Santos (21)
- Field Goal Attempts: Cairo Santos (23)
- Longest Field Goal: Cairo Santos (51 yards)
- XPs Made: Cairo Santos (26)
- XP Attempts: Cairo Santos (31)
Punting
- Total Punts: Trenton Gill (63)
- Punt Yards: Trenton Gill (2927)
- Yards per Punt: Trenton Gill (46.5)
- Net Yards per Punt: Trenton Gill (39.8)
- Longest Punt: Trenton Gill (63 yards)
Storylines to Watch
Justin Fields Out, Nathan Peterman In
The Chicago Bears announced early in the week that they will not be playing their 2021 first-round pick QB Justin Fields on Sunday against the Vikings. Instead, they will run out Nathan Peterman as their starting quarterback, who will make his first NFL start since the 2018 season when he was with the Buffalo Bills.
Overall, Peterman has made four starts in the league, all with the Bills, and his teams have gone 1-3 in those games. He’s completed 52.5% of his passes for 598 yards, 3 TDs, and 13 INTs throughout his 12 appearances in the league. This season, Peterman has appeared in two games, completing 3-of-6 passes for 25 yards and an interception.
Bears Motivated to Lose?
The Chicago Bears have very little to gain by winning this game other than maybe a bit of a morale boost heading into the offseason. However, they potentially could gain a ton by losing this game. Currently, the Bears are half a game behind the Houston Texans for the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
If Chicago loses, and the Texans beat the Colts on Sunday, Chicago would jump up into that top spot in the draft. Seeing as they do not need a QB, they could potentially gain a lucrative amount of capital by trading out of that top spot.
With Fields being declared out so early, as well as the massive number of players either sitting out or being limited in practice, it seems like the Bears are quietly indicating that they wouldn’t be too upset with losing this game.
Could We See Some Vikings Depth Pieces?
The Minnesota Vikings have already stated that they will be treating this game like a normal week, and their starters will be on the field to start Sunday afternoon. However, especially if the Vikings jump out to an early big lead against the 3-13 Bears, we could very well see some of the backups take the field. In particular, look for Nick Mullens to get more snaps at the QB spot.
ESPN Mock Draft Sends Vikings a CB
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing. He also earned minors in History, Human Biology, and Journalism. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys marathon training, playing video games, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. For more of his opinions, check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.