The Bears (6-5) head up to the Roller Dome on Sunday night to take on the Minnesota Vikings (6-5) with first place in the NFC North at stake.
The Vikings are favored by three points at home, and rightfully so. Sure, the Bears already have one win over Minnesota this season - a 48-41 victory at Soldier Field.
But in that game, the Bears showed no signs that they could stop the Vikings' offense. Minnesota piled up 439 total yards on the afternoon. There were two things that saved the Mediocrities of the Midway: 1) The Vikings committed five turnovers, and 2) The Bears scored two special teams touchdowns, including one by former NIU star Garrett Wolfe (left).
I wouldn't count on five turnovers happening again. But the potential for a big-play on special teams is one straw the Bears have to clutch at. The Vikings have been absolutely terrible on special teams, as pointed out by Sun-Times beat writer Brad Biggs.
Paging, Devin Hester.....Devin Hester will you please contribute something, anything to the cause this year? A big kickoff or punt return against the weak Minnesota coverage units could go a long way toward the Bears chances of springing an upset.
Secondly, the Bears have a good record in domes. They are 7-3 in their last 10 dome contests, including 3-1 this year. The only loss, a 22-20 defeat at Atlanta on a field goal at the final gun.
The Bears defense, a speedy but undersized lot, seems to play its best on turf. On average, they have given up 265 yards per game inside and 359 yards per game outside. That's a difference of 94 yards. We'll see if that helps the cause Sunday night.
I don't think the Bears are going to steal this win on the road, but it isn't beyond the realm of possibility if they can make a big play or two on special teams and keep the Vikings' offense reasonably contained.
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