What to know when the Vikings travel to play the Chicago Bears on Monday night:
Vikings at Bears
When: 7:15 p.m. Monday
Where: Soldier Field
TV: ABC/ESPN
Radio: KFAN
Line: Vikings -1.5
Over/Under: 43.5
Keys for the Vikings
— It’s important that head coach Kevin O’Connell doesn’t put too much on young quarterback J.J. McCarthy. Though he might already carry himself like a face of the franchise, McCarthy shouldn’t be asked to be a superhero in the first start of his career. If the Vikings want to win the game, they have to limit the amount of times McCarthy feels like he has to win the game by himself. The rushing attack will be McCarthy’s best friend, with veteran running back Aaron Jones and fellow running back Jordan Mason shouldering the load in the backfield.
— The pass rush must get home on a consistent basis. That’s going to be the most effective way for the Vikings to get the Bears and their dynamic quarterback Caleb Williams out of rhythm. It’s likely that defensive coordinator Brian Flores will continue send pressure with reckless abandon; he has proven content to live by the blitz and die by the blitz as a play caller. It would help if the revamped defensive line could occasionally apply pressure without Flores having to constantly send extra pass rushers.
Keys for the Bears
— It’s on new head coach Ben Johnson to make life easy for Williams in the early stages of their relationship. He has shown a tendency to hold to the ball for too long when asked to drop back and read the defense. That was evidenced by the fact that he took 68 sacks as a rookie. A way to remedy that issue would be Johnson dialing up some simple reads designed for Williams get the ball out as quickly as possible. That could help the Bears keep the Vikings off balance.
— There was a viral moment from training camp when new defensive coordinator Dennis Allen told his players that it was a privilege to play in his defense. There’s an intensity about Allen that is mirrored in his aggressive approach to play calling. He’s going to put his players in position to make a game-changing play a number of times throughout the game. It’s on them to rise to the occasion when the opportunity presents itself.
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