Minnesota Vikings: 4 steps to beating the Bears

Dec 4, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (6) after throwing an interception in the end zone against the Dallas Cowboys during the second half of their game at Soldier Field. The Cowboys won 41-28. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports

1) Force Jay Cutler to be Jay Cutler

Jay Cutler may never be able to shake the high-risk persona that has dogged him over his entire career. He takes shots down field and he makes mistakes. A lot of mistakes.

But over the last few weeks, Cutler has been much better than many people would like to admit.

Since the last game against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 8, Jay Cutler has thrown eight touchdowns to just three interceptions and has three games with multiple touchdowns. He’s been taking care of the football and it has largely gone unnoticed by the regular media.

Maybe Jay Cutler has turned a corner, but it is certainly possible that he can be forced to return to his normal, high-turnover self.

Getting Linval Joseph back at defensive tackle and Harrison Smith back at safety – as the Star Tribune reports they are both returning to practice – will be key to forcing Jay Cutler into making rushed decisions and taking advantage of those decisions.

The strength of the Minnesota Vikings team is its defense and they can put enough pressure on Cutler to fall back into his regular ways and make plenty of mistakes. It was only a season ago that Cutler tossed a league-leading 18 interceptions.

The Vikes are familiar with Cutler and they will find a way to get him to fall back from the higher plain he has been on as of late.

Next: Adrian Peterson must step up