Aaron Jones' legs highlight Vikings Studs and Duds in dominating Week 15 victory vs. Bears
The Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears had a classic NFC North divisional battle on Monday Night Football. It was an ugly game for a while, but the Vikings defense was relentless on the day and beat the Bears by a score of 27-13. The game was one the Vikings had to win if they want […]
The Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears had a classic NFC North divisional battle on Monday Night Football. It was an ugly game for a while, but the Vikings defense was relentless on the day and beat the Bears by a score of 27-13.
The game was one the Vikings had to win if they want to win the NFC North. In fact, all they have to do is win out and they will win the division.
The game itself could have been smoother for the Vikings, but the important thing is they got it done. Here are the week 15 studs and duds.
Stud and Dud: Head coach Kevin O'Connell
When you play a divisional foe, they know you better than a standard opponent. They see you at least two times per season and the intricacies are. In turn, they can scheme around what you do better than a standard opponent will.
In the first half, O'Connell thrived with play calling. He was attacking down the field with ease, but it was the creative plays on third and long that stood out. He called a drag route to Aaron Jones for a first down on a third and 14 that was eerily similar to the one that they hit against the Bears three weeks ago.
It wasn't all good for O'Connell though. He had a major reluctance to run the football. The Bears have one of the worst rush defenses in the National Football League and the Vikings exploited it well in their first matchup three weeks ago.
For long stretches, O'Connell strayed from running the football. It didn't make a lot of sense, especially with the Bears missing starting defensive tackle Gervon Dexter. This is the biggest quam I have with his playcalling, because the run game did show some effectiveness in spurts.
Dud: WR Trent Sherfield
The phrase 'special teams make special teams' is there because those few plays can shape the game in either a positive or negative way. You want to make as many plays that aren't negative as you can. Neutral plays are sometimes just as impactful as not having negative plays.
Sherfield is one of the better special teams players in the NFL and he went for a punt block in the second quarter. He didn't get the block and instead made contact with the punter. That running into the kicker penalty gave the Bears an extended drive, which the Vikings defense thankfully squashed. These are the kinds of plays that you cannot have happen
Stud: RB Aaron Jones
This was one of the biggest keys to the game. The Bears missing Dexter and having a rough run defense was something that the Vikings could exploit during the course of the game.
Jones had a couple of props that I really liked from DraftKings Sportsbook
- 90+ rushing yards: +225
- 125+ rushing/receiving yards: +660
He didn't quite get there with 86 yards on the ground and 20 receiving yards, but his presence was needed to put the game away.
Dud: LG Blake Brandel
It's been a rough few weeks for Brandel after having a really good start to the season. There have been a lot of communication issues over the last few weeks with the majority of them coming from the interior.
Brandel didn't have the best day on Monday, allowing multiple pressures and had an illegal hands to the face penalty that ended up taking off the board a significant gain. These are the things you can't have happen if you are the Vikings.
Stud: EDGE Jonathan Greenard
The Vikings defense sent a ton of pressure to quarterback Caleb Williams and he was forced to run for his life more than you'd like to see. Brian Flores coordinates an aggressive defense that loves to get to the quarterback.
Greenard was one of two players to get to Williams on the night with a strip sack that was recovered by Blake Cashman. He also forced Williams out of the pocket on multiple occasions. He's been the best player on this Vikings' defense all year and it continued on Monday night.
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