Minnesota Vikings: 3 Bold predictions in Week 10 vs. Bears
3. Vikings will focus on Bears passing game
One thing Minnesota’s defense will have to work on the road in Week 10 is focusing on Chicago’s tendency to pass the ball and air things out throughout the course of a game.
For most of the season, Bears quarterback Nick Foles and company have leaned on throwing the ball rather than running things through the ground game. On Monday Night Football, the Vikings will have to work on keeping that aspect of the Bears offense in check to try and come out on top for the third straight week.
More from NFL Spin Zone
- Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
- Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
- Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
- Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
- Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens
Led by Foles under center, Chicago features wide receivers Allen Robinson, Darnell Mooney and Anthony Miller and tight end Jimmy Graham in the passing game. Running back David Montgomery is also a strong candidate to catch the ball out of the backfield in Chicago, though his status for Week 10 is in doubt.
With that mixture of talent throughout the field, Foles and the Bears offensive unit have ranked near the top half in multiple passing categories through nine games. Chicago has tallied 2,306 yards through the air, which ranks 11th in the NFL, while throwing the ball 371 times (second-most in NFL) with 238 completions (second-most in NFL). The Bears have also thrown for 16 passing touchdowns (tied for eighth-most in the league) while committing 10 interceptions.
On the other side of the ball, the Vikings pass defense has continued to struggle to some extend so far in 2020, mainly given the amount of youth and injuries the back half of the defense has had to deal with thus far.
Minnesota has given up a total of 2,303 yards through the air, which is the fifth-most yardage among defenses in the NFL. Opposing offenses have completed 68 percent of pass attempts against the Vikings (eighth-most in the NFL) and have tallied 19 touchdowns through the air (tied for third-most).
Given the Bears likeliness to throw the ball over run it on the ground mixed with the struggles on the side of the Vikings defense, we could certainly see Chicago trying to take some shots down the field in the Week 10 contest on Monday night.