Minnesota Vikings: 4 steps to beating the Chicago Bears
By Luke Sims
Oct 4, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Minnesota Vikings free safety Harrison Smith (22) is congratulated for his interception by middle linebacker Gerald Hodges (50) and defensive end Brian Robison (96) and outside linebacker Chad Greenway (52) in the fourth quarter against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Broncos defeated the Vikings 23-20. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
1) Force Turnovers
While the Minnesota Vikings don’t jump off the page as a high turnover team, the statistics suggest that this is going to be a game in which the Vikings come away with plenty of turnovers.
The Vikings are forcing their opponents to turn the ball over on 12.5 percent of their drives (via Pro Football Reference). Meanwhile, the Chicago Bears are giving away turnovers on offense on 11.6 percent of their drives.
What is perhaps the most striking in this matchup is just how many fumbles the Bears are having (nine) compared to the limited number of interceptions being thrown by quarterback Jay Cutler (four).
Cutler is looking less and less like the gunslinger of old and more like a competent quarterback. While that isn’t what Vikings fans want to hear right before the game, how Cutler plays will dictate the turnover battle. Cutler is completing 60.9 percent of his passes, is still averaging 246 yards per game and a more than capable quarterback at fitting the ball in tight windows. The Vikings can’t rely on Cutler to be the turnover machine he was last year.
Fortunately, it looks like the Vikings will be able to force turnovers through fumbles. Running back Matt Forte has been particularly butterfingered so far this season, already having two fumbles on the year.
The Vikings only have four fumbles forced on the season, but if the Bears continue to struggle to hold onto the ball, the Vikings could be in for a bonanza of turnover opportunities. The Vikings already have ten fumbles recovered on the season, proving to be opportunistic when the ball hits the ground.
If the Vikings can continue the opportunistic securing of fumbles and find a way to force Jay Cutler to be more like Jay Cutler, then they could win the turnover battle and, likely, win the game.
Next: Control the clock with Adrian Peterson