The Chicago Bears are set to travel to U.S. Bank Stadium to take on the Minnesota Vikings in a highly anticipated week five matchup. The Vikings and the Bears are both fighting for early positioning in the NFC North. While the season is still in its early stages, the battle for the North is already a fierce competition. Currently, the Vikings are in first, tied with a 3-1 record with the Green Bay Packers. Despite many thinking, the Bears would not win a game this season, they are only one game behind the Packers and Vikings for the top spot in the division.
Although Chicago is a bit outmatched by the Vikings on paper, Chicago has done an incredible job this season of playing to the level of their opponent and keeping games close. With the Vikings having such an elite offense, it will be difficult for the Bears to keep up, however, if the Bears’ defense can step up and have a big game, it could be enough to tip the scales in Chicago’s favor.
Chicago Bears Look to Regain Lost Ground In NFC North
The Chicago Bears come into this contest with a record of 2-2. As previously mentioned, this is much better off than a vast majority believed they would be at this point in the season. However, the Bears are still not content with just simply not being winless this season. They believe that they have a legitimate shot of contending for the division this year. If they hope to pull off this seemingly improbable feat, they will have to win divisional games like this one.
The keys to victory for the Bears this week will be to establish a solid running game and to play an elite level of defense. If Chicago is able to control the pace of the game and keep the ball out of the Vikings’ hands, they should be more than capable of pulling off this upset.
Minnesota Vikings Hope to Continue Their Reign at the Top of the NFC North
On the flip side, the Vikings should be coming into this game rather confident. Already this season, they have defeated the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions. If they are able to take down the Bears this week, they will have already defeated every other team in their division in the first five weeks of regular season play.
This will give them an extraordinary advantage in terms of conference seeding at the end of the regular season, especially if the race for the NFC North becomes even tighter as the regular season comes to a close. It will be crucial for the Vikings to take care of the ball for them to win this game.
Chicago has found success this season when they are able to dictate the pace of the game and control the time of possession. They are by no means a passing team and attempt to keep the ball on the ground to kill the clock. If the Vikings are able to limit their mistake and play a clean game, they should have no problems continuing their win streak.
