Bears: Stakes Rise In Latest Divisional Clash
Minnesota comes to Chicago more desperate than the home team, but Bears shouldn't overlook chance to separate themselves from the Vikes
By Russel Wiafe
Things are finally looking up for the Chicago Bears, somewhat.
After a thoroughly impressive performance on Thursday Night Football against the Washington Commanders and the mini bye week that followed, the Bears will host divisional rivals , the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field Sunday afternoon.
Despite the Bears finally having a mark in the win column, they’d do themselves a big favor by winning this game against a Minnesota team that could wind up 2023 with a worse record than them.
Most of the past two weeks the Bears have looked like they are ready to turn their season around, such a turnaround could finally be in motion with a win this week. There wasn’t much separating these two teams even with him, but without all-pro wide receiver Justin Jefferson, who’s now on the IR, the Vikings look even more ripe to be taken down.
Through his first five games this season, Bears quarterback Justin Fields is tied for second in the NFL in passing touchdowns (11), while ranking fourth in yards per completion (12.2 ), and 12th in passer rating (95.4). These numbers could be the first sign that the 24-year-old is now ready to make his claim among the best signal callers in the league.
Also, though he wouldn’t admit it, Fields could be silently answering the section of Bears fans who began calling for Caleb Williams’ name as the Bears creaked out to their 0-4 start this season. Less talk, more action is an agreeable motto to place on Fields, and with the whole football world watching last Thursday, QB1 delivered with panache against the Commanders with his most impressive game of the season so far, looking efficient and comfortable running Chicago’s offense throughout the entirety of the match-up.
Fields went 15-of-29 passing for 282 yards, with four touchdowns against the Commanders, helping him to be nominated for FEDEX Air Player of the Week, though he lost the accolade to the Bengals’ Joe Burrow. With a second straight four-touchdown performance, Fields is finally providing a highlight reel that shows his potential to make plays in the air in the NFL and not just on the ground.
The pressure may be easing up a little individually for Fields but he should know that playing and doing the simple things like he’s done the past two weeks works even better with some urgency involved. Fields may want to play every week like his football future depends on it.
More ball to Moore
The biggest key to QB1’s development, unsurprisingly, has been the availability of WR1, D.J. Moore.
Completely explosive against the Commanders, Moore reeled in eight Fields passes for three touchdowns and 230 yards in a hostile environment on a national broadcast.
Moore has been the talk of the town since the Bears traded their No. 1 overall pick to Carolina for him before the past off-season’s draft. The plan that had to be in general manager Ryan Poles’ mind with that transaction has to look much more solid with each game-breaking play that Moore makes.
“It was just fun,” Moore said after the game against the Commanders. “Football is fun. We’re out there playing a kid's game at the end of the day. I just looked at it that way. Tonight the stars aligned.”
My only question is why it took so long for the Bears’ offensive coordinator, Luke Getsy, to put the ball in Moore’s hands knowing his numbers with a bad Panthers team were up there with the likes of Stefon Diggs and Ja’marr Chase on their playoff-bound teams.
Moore is the threat that the Bears have been craving for, as he gives Fields a legitimate threat and doubles as a player who can create plays and extend yardage after receiving the ball. In his first five games as a Bear, Moore has 27 receptions for 531 yards and 5 touchdowns.
Sort it in the second
Coach Matt Eberflus isn’t on the hot seat quite yet despite the down start from his Bears, that much is certain, but that could still change if he doesn’t get better at second-half adjustments.
The adjustments in the last two games against the Broncos and the Commanders were ludicrous, especially on defense, where the long-time defensive coordinator is once again calling plays in the wake of Alan Williams stepping away from the team.
The Bears’ record collapse against Denver, which featured a 24-0 run by the Broncos, was followed up by a 17 point second half for Washington, which made that game much more interesting than it should have been.
In four of five games the Bears have struggled in the second half this season, that has to change if this team wants to make any leaps forward going through the second half of the season. Starting with this week against the Vikings, coach Flus will have to be aggressive and clear-headed and knowledgeable enough towards Minnesota’s tendencies to make the right decisions whenever they try to take over the game.
The best coaches in the National Football League are the best adjusters and their teams usually take control of things after half-time. The Bears players and coaches have shown that standards don’t have to be so low in their most recent performances, there’s no reason to turn back now.
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