Minnesota Vikings: 4 steps to beating the Bears
By Luke Sims
Dec 10, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Mike Wallace (11) celebrates after scoring a 7 yard touchdown during the second half against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
4) Use the passing game to open up big plays
If there is one thing that has been the most frustrating to watch over the last couple weeks, it’s seeing quarterback Teddy Bridgewater play a strong game but not seeing the offense put up points to show for it.
Some of this comes down to converting critical third downs and some of it comes down to the way the offense has operated.
As noted before, without Adrian Peterson carrying the load, the offense has struggled. Even with a big game from Bridgewater against the Arizona Cardinals (his best of the season by far), the Vikings still couldn’t win.
The passing offense simply isn’t designed to be the focus of the offense. It is designed to complement the rushing offense.
To that end, the Vikings need to open things up more to create running room for Peterson and also allow Bridgewater to excel more at the short to intermediate throws that have made him so successful as a young quarterback.
The Vikings don’t have a single player with significant receptions (over 15) on the season who has more than 15 yards per reception. That is despite play makers like Mike Wallace and Stefon Diggs on the outside and a dominant tight end like Kyle Rudolph helping out as well.
These receivers are more than capable.
Going against one of the best passing defenses in the NFL, the Vikings should force the Bears to respect the ability to go deep, providing more balance to the offense. If they can take a few shots – whether completed or not – that show they are willing to take chances downfield, the Bears won’t be able to clamp down on the running game and it will help the entire offense step forward as a complete unit.
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Teddy Bridgewater has one of the lower yards per attempt (7.1) in the NFL right now and it would be nice to see him show a willingness to “chuck it” downfield more, forcing the Bears off.