Bears prepping for rematch against the league's top blitzing unit
The Chicago Bears are getting set for a rematch on Monday Night Football against the Minnesota Vikings to close out Week 12. The Bears lost at home against the Vikings in Week 6 with a final score of 19-13. Bears quarterback Justin Fields was injured in the third quarter, which forced rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent […]
The Chicago Bears are getting set for a rematch on Monday Night Football against the Minnesota Vikings to close out Week 12.
The Bears lost at home against the Vikings in Week 6 with a final score of 19-13. Bears quarterback Justin Fields was injured in the third quarter, which forced rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent to finish the game.
The Bears will be out for revenge on Monday, but a tough task will still be in front of them against the league's top blitzing unit.
No team in the NFL has blitzed more than the Minnesota Vikings in 2023 led by defensive coordinator Brian Flores. In their Week 6 meeting, the Vikings logged 5 sacks against the Bears, including 2.0 by defensive end Danielle Hunter.
Hunter is second in the NFL with 12.0 sacks on the season and will be looking to feast against the Bears offensive line once again. However, the unit will be back to full strength. In Week 6, the Bears started Larry Borom, Teven Jenkins, Cody Whitehair, Nate Davis, and Darnell Wright. On Monday, the starting offensive line is expected to be Braxton Jones, Teven Jenkins, Lucas Patrick, Nate Davis, and Darnell Wright.
Hopefully having the best starting five up front can help alleviate the pressure. Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy addressed the challenge his unit will be facing while speaking with reporters on Friday.
"The challenge is real, nobody does it this much, this often, and in this many different varieties of ways as these guys do," Getsy said. "I think Coach Flores has done a really nice job of getting those guys all in sync and they figured out a really nice way of putting a lot of stress on people."
Fields will be looking to have his revenge against the vaunted pass rush deployed by the Vikings after being forced to leave the game with a thumb injury in his last matchup against them. Fields talked to reporters on Wednesday and laid out what his modified game plan will look like this time around.
"They bring all out, you really don't have anywhere to go because you're outnumbered in protection," he said. "That's when you gotta get the ball out quick. That's how you combat that. You're not gonna actually just completely out athlete their defensive ends. That's not really the answer to beat them, it's trying to scramble around. You just want to get the ball out quick and let the playmakers make plays and work for you."
Blocking Hunter and avoiding him in the pocket will be the biggest test for Fields and the Bears offensive line. The Vikings pass rusher has been a real game changer this season and Chicago can't allow that to happen on Monday.
"He's a freak athlete and he's been doing his thing this year," Fields added. "He's been balling out this year, so definitely gotta have a plan for him. And, you know, just making sure we know where he's at all the time. He's been playing exceptionally well this year. So like I said, we'll have a plan for him."
It's shaping up to be yet another battle in the trenches for the Bears on Monday night to see which front prevails over the other. After rushing for 104 yards on 18 carries against the Lions last week, it'd be wise to expect to see him use his legs as a weapon once again in Week 12.
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